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 individuals in 2018 at a Waffle House in Tennessee

ByThe Associated Press

19 May 2022, 17:42

• 3 min learn

PEKIN, In poor health. -- An Illinois man faces up to 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 judge convicted Jeffrey Reinking final week of unlawful delivery of a firearm to an individual who had been treated for psychological illness inside the past five years, the ( Peoria) Journal Star reported. He stays free on bond pending his sentencing, which is set 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 treatment in 2016.

In Might 2016, police and fireplace 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.

Experiences the Journal Star obtained in 2018 confirmed Travis Reinking was brought to a Peoria hospital for an evaluation 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 treated for mental health points at the hospital. Sullivan stated he knew his son was brought to the hospital but didn’t know why, and was not guilty of the charge.

As a result of the younger Reinking had his firearm proprietor’s identification card revoked by Illinois State Police, he could not legally have guns within 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 deadly taking pictures at a Waffle Home in Nashville, prosecutors mentioned.

The assault-style rifle he utilized in that assault, 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 potential for parole after being convicted of 4 counts of first-degree murder and other charges. He opened fireplace contained in 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 individuals were tormenting him. He contacted regulation 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 right into a restricted space on the White House grounds and demanded to fulfill with then-President Donald Trump.