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

An Illinois man faces as much as three years in jail 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 House in Tennessee

ByThe Associated Press

19 May 2022, 17:42

• 3 min read

PEKIN, Ailing. -- An Illinois man faces as much as three years in prison 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 choose convicted Jeffrey Reinking last week of illegal supply of a firearm to a person who had been handled for mental sickness inside the past five years, the ( Peoria) Journal Star reported. He remains free on bond pending his sentencing, which is about for June 17.

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

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

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

But Jeffrey Reinking’s attorney, Kevin Sullivan, argued at trial that his client didn’t know his son had been handled for mental health issues on the hospital. Sullivan mentioned he knew his son was delivered to the hospital but didn’t know why, and was not guilty of the charge.

As a result of the younger Reinking had his firearm owner’s identification card revoked by Illinois State Police, he could not legally have weapons inside the state. Travis Reinking surrendered his guns to his father, who later returned them to him sooner or later before the deadly taking pictures at a Waffle House in Nashville, prosecutors mentioned.

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

Travis Reinking was sentenced in February to life in prison without the possibility of parole after being convicted of four counts of first-degree homicide and different costs. He opened hearth contained in 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 confirmed he had schizophrenia and suffered delusions for years, believing unknown individuals had been tormenting him. He contacted legislation enforcement a number of times to report that he was being threatened, stalked and harassed.

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