Opening statements began in Rodney Hinton Jr.'s murder trial in the death of Deputy Larry Henderson. He has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

An insanity plea is not a denial of what happened, and it is not an admission of guilt. On Wednesday the two sides put their theories to a seated jury for the first time. Defense attorney Clyde Bennett II told jurors Hinton has a long history of serious mental illness and was in extreme distress after seeing video of police shooting his son. Chief Assistant Prosecutor Heidi Rosales told them, "In Ohio, emotional distress does not excuse murder." Openings are a preview of the evidence. They are not evidence.

FOX19 reported that the jury was seated after a little more than two days of questioning that began Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, with 107 prospective jurors working through a 139-question questionnaire. WLWT had earlier reported a 76-question questionnaire. FOX19 reported the panel is five white women, five white men, and two Black women. Opening statements began Wednesday, Oct. 7, a day earlier than the Thursday start prosecutors had projected, before Judge Jody Luebbers, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. WVXU reported that jurors heard opening statements and witness testimony Wednesday and toured the uptown Cincinnati site where Henderson was struck. The trial is expected to last about three weeks.

WVXU reported that Bennett traced Hinton's mental illness back to his 20s, including stints on multiple anti-psychotic medications and an incident in which he was found roaming the streets of Middletown unclothed. FOX19 reported Bennett described severe neglect and abuse in childhood and depression in adulthood, and said it culminated in Hinton losing contact with reality in 2023, two years before Henderson was killed. Bennett said Hinton was under "extreme emotional distress" because hours earlier he had been shown video of Cincinnati police shooting and killing his son, Ryan Hinton, 18, during a stolen-vehicle chase. That shooting was found justified, FOX19 reported. "If you follow the law, and you listen to the serious mental illnesses that Mr. Hinton had, and the extreme stress he went through, there is only one verdict that is important for each and every count of the indictment," Bennett said, according to WVXU. "And that's not guilty by reason of insanity."

Rosales told jurors Hinton's actions were deliberate and well documented by video and photographs, and that his anguish over his son does not support an insanity plea under Ohio law, WVXU reported. "In Ohio, emotional distress does not excuse murder," she said. Prosecutors have said Hinton targeted Henderson because he was the first law enforcement officer Hinton saw, Local 12 WKRC reported. Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich had told WLWT her team would lay out "where his trajectory was" and how Hinton "turned his wheels to follow" Henderson. That is the prosecution's theory. The jury decides whether the evidence proves it.

WLWT reported that one defense witness is a doctor who determined Hinton has a mental illness and did not recognize the wrongfulness of the act at the time, and that a judge last week allowed limits on the scope of that testimony. Local 12 reported the death penalty was taken off the table in January because of his diagnosed mental illness. FOX19 reported Hinton has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to one count of murder, two counts of aggravated murder, and two counts of felonious assault. An expert's diagnosis is evidence for the jury to weigh. It is not a verdict. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.