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 folks in 2018 at a Waffle House in Tennessee

ByThe Associated Press

19 May 2022, 17:42

• 3 min learn

PEKIN, Sick. -- 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 Home in Tennessee.

A decide convicted Jeffrey Reinking last week of unlawful supply of a firearm to an individual who had been handled for psychological sickness within the previous five years, the ( Peoria) Journal Star reported. He remains 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 rural Morton, Illinois, man knew his son, Travis Reinking, had undergone mental health treatment in 2016.

In Could 2016, police and fire personnel responded to a pharmacy parking lot 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 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 attorney, Kevin Sullivan, argued at trial that his shopper didn’t know his son had been treated for mental well being issues on the hospital. Sullivan said he knew his son was delivered to the hospital however 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 within the state. Travis Reinking surrendered his guns to his father, who later returned them to him sooner or later before the deadly taking pictures at a Waffle House in Nashville, prosecutors said.

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

Travis Reinking was sentenced in February to life in jail without the opportunity of parole after being convicted of 4 counts of first-degree homicide and different 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.

Evidence at Travis Reinking's trial confirmed he had schizophrenia and suffered delusions for years, believing unknown folks had been tormenting him. He contacted regulation 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 House grounds and demanded to satisfy with then-President Donald Trump.