Jury Convicts Shiloh Hendrix in Racial Slur Case at Rochester Playground

A Rochester woman has been convicted of two counts of disorderly conduct following a racial slur directed at a child at a local playground. The jury reached its verdict late Thursday evening after deliberating on charges stemming from an April incident that was documented on video and shared widely on social media.

The Verdict and Sentencing

Shiloh Hendrix, age 37, was found guilty of the charges brought against her. In addition to the conviction, the court ordered her to complete 200 hours of community work service and to pay a $1,000 fine. She will also receive supervised probation as part of her sentence.

The jury's deliberation process extended into the evening, with jurors requesting clarification on a legal term during their discussions. The judge presiding over the case declined to provide a definition, instead directing the jury to reference the court instructions provided to them.

The Incident and Investigation

The incident occurred on April 28 at Roy Sutherland Playground at Soldiers Field Park. A father brought his three children, including a son with autism who wears a GPS tracking device due to his risk of wandering, to the playground. During the visit, the child took an applesauce snack from Hendrix's bag. When Hendrix retrieved the snack, she used a racial slur when addressing the child. The father and son are both Somali.

The father did not immediately contact police but reached out to the Rochester chapter of the NAACP after seeing video of the incident circulate on social media. The organization suggested he report the matter to law enforcement. During the investigation, police retained the father's phone to review GPS data and visited his home to identify the clothing worn during the incident. Over $340,000 was raised through a GoFundMe fundraiser, though the funds were later tied to a fraud case involving a family that falsely claimed to be the victims.

Trial Proceedings

During the three-day trial, Hendrix chose not to testify in her own defense. Her attorney called a single witness—Rochester Police Sergeant Ben Schlag, who conducted the initial interview with the child's father. Schlag described how the father remained composed during a 40-minute interview conducted through a Somali interpreter and did not initially mention fearing Hendrix would strike his son, though he raised that concern during a follow-up interview the next day.