Testimony in the rodney hinton trial moved into its second day after jurors heard accounts of the May 2, 2025 crash that killed Hamilton County Deputy Larry Henderson Jr. A Hamilton County jury also heard opening statements Wednesday and visited the crash scene near Burnet Woods.
The trial is expected to last about three weeks, and the central issue is whether Hinton intentionally hit Henderson or acted under a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. Jurors have already heard witness accounts that there was no braking before the crash and that the car was heading straight for Henderson and a nearby light pole.
Burnet Woods crash scene
The crash happened May 2, 2025, while Henderson directed traffic near Burnet Woods during University of Cincinnati graduation weekend. Witnesses near the scene said the car struck Henderson without slowing, and one responding officer cried on the stand while describing body camera video.
A sheriff's deputy who knew Henderson personally testified he did not realize at first that his colleague was involved. That testimony placed the crash in front of jurors as a sudden street-level event, not a distant reconstruction.
Heidi Rosales and Clyde Bennett
Prosecutor Heidi Rosales argued that Hinton intentionally hit Henderson and that emotional distress does not excuse murder. Defense attorney Clyde Bennett said Hinton had a serious mental illness and was experiencing extreme emotional distress after his son was fatally shot by a Cincinnati police officer.
The case turns on what the jury makes of that clash. Rosales is asking jurors to treat the crash as deliberate; Bennett is asking them to weigh Hinton's mental condition against the charge. The insanity plea puts Hinton's state of mind at the center of the verdict.
Monique Gilliam testimony
Jurors also heard from Monique Gilliam, Hinton's cousin. She said she followed behind his car on the drive home and was right behind him when the crash happened. She told the court, “There were cars to the right of us. It looked as if he was debating to merge and get back into standing traffic, or turn at the light. I tapped my horn, as to say, ‘What are we doing?’”
Gilliam also described Hinton as quiet and distraught and said he was not hallucinating. She said, “My wife saw an officer standing over by a light pole. She said I wonder how long he has to stand there and as she said that, a car came flying by, etc” and added, “There was no opportunity for him to see the car,” as she described the crash.
With the second day of testimony finished, the jury is now moving through witness accounts and the competing claims about intent and mental illness. The next testimony will continue to test whether the defense can show extreme emotional distress and a serious mental illness, or whether the prosecution can persuade jurors that the crash was deliberate.
