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 4 people in 2018 at a Waffle House in Tennessee

ByThe Related Press

19 Could 2022, 17:42

• 3 min read

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

A decide convicted Jeffrey Reinking last week of illegal delivery of a firearm to an individual who had been treated for mental illness inside the previous five years, the ( Peoria) Journal Star reported. He stays free on bond pending his sentencing, which is set 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 well being remedy in 2016.

In Could 2016, police and fireplace personnel responded to a pharmacy parking lot in Morton where Travis Reinking advised 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 dropped at 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 shopper didn’t know his son had been treated for mental well being issues at the hospital. Sullivan mentioned he knew his son was brought to the hospital but didn’t know why, and was not guilty of the cost.

As a result of the youthful Reinking had his firearm owner’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 sooner or later before the fatal capturing at a Waffle Home in Nashville, prosecutors mentioned.

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 4 counts of first-degree murder and different 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 individuals were tormenting him. He contacted legislation 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 into a restricted area on the White Home grounds and demanded to satisfy with then-President Donald Trump.