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

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

ByThe Associated Press

19 May 2022, 17:42

• 3 min learn

PEKIN, Unwell. -- 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 4 people in 2018 at a Waffle House in Tennessee.

A choose convicted Jeffrey Reinking last week of illegal delivery of a firearm to an individual who had been treated for psychological sickness throughout the past 5 years, the ( Peoria) Journal Star reported. He remains free on bond pending his sentencing, which is about for June 17.

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

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

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

However Jeffrey Reinking’s attorney, Kevin Sullivan, argued at trial that his consumer didn’t know his son had been treated for mental well being points on the hospital. Sullivan said he knew his son was delivered to the hospital however didn’t know why, and was not guilty of the cost.

Because the youthful Reinking had his firearm owner’s identification card revoked by Illinois State Police, he could not legally have guns throughout the state. Travis Reinking surrendered his guns to his father, who later returned them to him sooner or later earlier than the deadly shooting at a Waffle Home in Nashville, prosecutors said.

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

Travis Reinking was sentenced in February to life in prison without the potential for parole after being convicted of 4 counts of first-degree homicide and different prices. He opened fireplace inside the restaurant on April 22, 2018, killing Taurean Sanderlin, 29; Joey Perez, 20; Akilah Dasilva, 23; and DeEbony Groves, 21.

Evidence at Travis Reinking's trial showed he had schizophrenia and suffered delusions for years, believing unknown individuals have been tormenting him. He contacted law enforcement several 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 House grounds and demanded to meet with then-President Donald Trump.