The wife of a retired Ohio sheriff’s deputy, who was tragically killed by a man allegedly angry over the death of his son, is suing the suspect’s family for their involvement in online fundraisers.
The lawsuit accuses Rodney Hinton Jr.’s family of profiting from the murder of her husband, Deputy Larry Henderson, through crowdfunding campaigns for legal expenses and family support.
The Incident That Led to the Lawsuit
Rodney Hinton Jr., 38, is charged with the murder of Deputy Larry Henderson, who was 57 years old. On May 2, 2023, Henderson, a retired deputy, was directing traffic for the University of Cincinnati’s commencement ceremony when Hinton allegedly drove his car into him.
The day before, Hinton’s son, Ryan Hinton, had been fatally shot by a Cincinnati police officer, which is believed to have sparked his anger and led to the deadly act.
In response to the situation, Hinton’s family created fundraising campaigns on platforms like GoFundMe and GiveSendGo to gather money for legal fees and other expenses related to the case.
However, the campaigns quickly faced backlash from Ohio police groups and officials, who succeeded in having some of them taken down. Despite this, the family reportedly raised over $100,000 through these online fundraisers.
The Lawsuit Against Hinton’s Family
On July 14, Henderson’s widow, Linda Henderson, filed a lawsuit against Rodney Hinton Jr. and his family. The lawsuit claims that the family “has campaigned for and collected over $100,000” using Hinton’s notoriety as the alleged murderer.
It further argues that this money was wrongfully obtained and should be turned over to the Henderson family.
Under Ohio’s “Son of Sam” law, which prevents criminals from profiting from their crimes (such as by selling their life stories), the lawsuit argues that Hinton’s family should not be allowed to benefit from the crowdfunding efforts.
The suit claims that the family is exploiting Hinton’s “public status and notoriety gained solely through his criminal act of killing Deputy Henderson,” labeling it as a “malicious civil conspiracy.”
Legal and Financial Demands
The lawsuit not only seeks to block the family from keeping the funds raised, but also asks for compensatory and punitive damages. It demands that any money collected through these fundraisers be returned to the Henderson family as part of the wrongful death claim.
The action further names Hinton as responsible for the wrongful death of Deputy Henderson due to his “deliberate, intentional, and malicious acts.”
Reaction and Legal Defense
Following the backlash, GoFundMe removed the campaigns linked to Hinton’s family, responding to requests from law enforcement groups. Similarly, a fundraising page on GiveSendGo, reportedly created by Hinton’s wife, was taken down.
Hinton’s defense attorney, however, argues that Hinton suffered a psychotic breakdown after seeing footage of his son being shot by a Cincinnati police officer, claiming that his altered mental state led to the fatal attack on Deputy Henderson.
