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 Related Press

19 May 2022, 17:42

• 3 min learn

PEKIN, Unwell. -- 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.

A judge convicted Jeffrey Reinking final week of illegal supply of a firearm to a person who had been handled for psychological illness within the previous 5 years, the ( Peoria) Journal Star reported. He remains free on bond pending his sentencing, which is ready for June 17.

Throughout Reinking's Might 13 bench trial, Tazewell County prosecutors argued that the agricultural Morton, Illinois, man knew his son, Travis Reinking, had undergone psychological health therapy in 2016.

In May 2016, police and fireplace personnel responded to a pharmacy car parking zone in Morton where Travis Reinking instructed 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.

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

Because the younger Reinking had his firearm proprietor’s identification card revoked by Illinois State Police, he couldn't legally have weapons throughout the state. Travis Reinking surrendered his weapons to his father, who later returned them to him sooner or later earlier than the deadly shooting at a Waffle Home in Nashville, prosecutors mentioned.

The assault-style rifle he used 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 jail with out the possibility of parole after being convicted of four counts of first-degree murder and different costs. 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 confirmed he had schizophrenia and suffered delusions for years, believing unknown folks were tormenting him. He contacted law 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 area on the White House grounds and demanded to fulfill with then-President Donald Trump.