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

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

ByThe Associated Press

19 May 2022, 17:42

• 3 min learn

PEKIN, In poor health. -- 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 individuals in 2018 at a Waffle House in Tennessee.

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

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

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

Reviews the Journal Star obtained in 2018 showed Travis Reinking was dropped at a Peoria hospital for an evaluation after that incident and had agreed to go to the hospital.

But Jeffrey Reinking’s legal professional, 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 said he knew his son was delivered to the hospital however 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 could not legally have guns inside the state. Travis Reinking surrendered his weapons to his father, who later returned them to him in some unspecified time in the future before the fatal taking pictures at a Waffle Home in Nashville, prosecutors mentioned.

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

Travis Reinking was sentenced in February to life in jail without the potential for parole after being convicted of four counts of first-degree murder and different charges. He opened fireplace 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 confirmed he had schizophrenia and suffered delusions for years, believing unknown folks have been tormenting him. He contacted law 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 right into a restricted space on the White Home grounds and demanded to meet with then-President Donald Trump.