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 learn

PEKIN, Sick. -- 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 Home in Tennessee.

A judge convicted Jeffrey Reinking final week of illegal supply of a firearm to a person who had been handled for psychological sickness within the past five years, the ( Peoria) Journal Star reported. He stays free on bond pending his sentencing, which is set for June 17.

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

In May 2016, police and hearth 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.

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

However Jeffrey Reinking’s attorney, Kevin Sullivan, argued at trial that his consumer didn’t know his son had been handled for mental well being issues on the hospital. Sullivan stated he knew his son was delivered to the hospital however didn’t know why, and was not responsible of the charge.

Because the youthful Reinking had his firearm owner’s identification card revoked by Illinois State Police, he could not legally have weapons throughout the state. Travis Reinking surrendered his guns to his father, who later returned them to him in some unspecified time in the future before the fatal shooting at a Waffle Home in Nashville, prosecutors stated.

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

Travis Reinking was sentenced in February to life in prison with out the potential for parole after being convicted of 4 counts of first-degree murder and other prices. 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 had been tormenting him. He contacted regulation enforcement a number of 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 area on the White House grounds and demanded to meet with then-President Donald Trump.