Illinois man convicted of giving son rifle he used to kill 4

An Illinois man faces up to three years in prison after being convicted of illegally giving his son an assault-style rifle he later used to shoot and kill four individuals in 2018 at a Waffle Home in Tennessee

ByThe Related Press

19 May 2022, 17:42

• 3 min read

PEKIN, Ill. -- An Illinois man faces up to three years in jail after being convicted of illegally giving his son an assault-style rifle he later used to shoot and kill four people in 2018 at a Waffle House in Tennessee.

A decide convicted Jeffrey Reinking final week of unlawful delivery of a firearm to an individual who had been handled for mental sickness throughout the past 5 years, the ( Peoria) Journal Star reported. He stays free on bond pending his sentencing, which is set for June 17.

During Reinking's Could 13 bench trial, Tazewell County prosecutors argued that the rural Morton, Illinois, man knew his son, Travis Reinking, had undergone mental well being treatment in 2016.

In Could 2016, police and fire personnel responded to a pharmacy parking lot in Morton the place Travis Reinking advised officers he believed singer Taylor Swift was stalking him and had hacked into his cellphone.

Stories the Journal Star obtained in 2018 confirmed Travis Reinking was dropped at a Peoria hospital for an evaluation after that incident and had agreed to go to the hospital.

But Jeffrey Reinking’s legal professional, Kevin Sullivan, argued at trial that his client didn’t know his son had been treated for psychological well being issues at the hospital. Sullivan mentioned he knew his son was dropped at the hospital but didn’t know why, and was not guilty of the charge.

Because the youthful Reinking had his firearm proprietor’s identification card revoked by Illinois State Police, he couldn't legally have weapons inside the state. Travis Reinking surrendered his guns to his father, who later returned them to him in some unspecified time in the future before the deadly capturing at a Waffle House in Nashville, prosecutors said.

The assault-style rifle he utilized in that attack, an AR-15, was one of many guns his father had returned to him.

Travis Reinking was sentenced in February to life in prison with out the opportunity of parole after being convicted of four counts of first-degree homicide and other costs. He opened hearth inside the restaurant on April 22, 2018, killing Taurean Sanderlin, 29; Joey Perez, 20; Akilah Dasilva, 23; and DeEbony Groves, 21.

Proof at Travis Reinking's trial showed he had schizophrenia and suffered delusions for years, believing unknown people were tormenting him. He contacted law enforcement several occasions to report that he was being threatened, stalked and harassed.

In July 2017, he was detained by the Secret Service after he ventured unarmed right into a restricted space on the White Home grounds and demanded to fulfill with then-President Donald Trump.