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 4 individuals in 2018 at a Waffle House in Tennessee

ByThe Associated Press

19 May 2022, 17:42

• 3 min learn

PEKIN, Ill. -- 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.

A judge convicted Jeffrey Reinking last week of unlawful delivery of a firearm to an individual who had been handled for psychological illness inside the past 5 years, the ( Peoria) Journal Star reported. He stays free on bond pending his sentencing, which is ready for June 17.

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

In Could 2016, police and fire personnel responded to a pharmacy parking zone in Morton the place 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 showed 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 lawyer, Kevin Sullivan, argued at trial that his client didn’t know his son had been handled for mental well being 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 cost.

Because the younger Reinking had his firearm owner’s identification card revoked by Illinois State Police, he could not legally have guns inside the state. Travis Reinking surrendered his weapons to his father, who later returned them to him sooner or later before the deadly capturing 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 jail with out the opportunity of parole after being convicted of four counts of first-degree murder and different expenses. He opened fire 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 individuals have been tormenting him. He contacted legislation enforcement several instances 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 area on the White Home grounds and demanded to meet with then-President Donald Trump.