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

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 folks in 2018 at a Waffle House in Tennessee

ByThe Related Press

19 Might 2022, 17:42

• 3 min read

PEKIN, Unwell. -- 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.

A judge convicted Jeffrey Reinking final week of illegal delivery of a firearm to an individual who had been treated for psychological sickness throughout 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 May 13 bench trial, Tazewell County prosecutors argued that the agricultural Morton, Illinois, man knew his son, Travis Reinking, had undergone mental health therapy in 2016.

In May 2016, police and hearth personnel responded to a pharmacy parking lot in Morton where Travis Reinking told 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 brought to a Peoria hospital for an analysis after that incident and had agreed to go to the hospital.

But Jeffrey Reinking’s lawyer, Kevin Sullivan, argued at trial that his shopper didn’t know his son had been treated for psychological health points on the hospital. Sullivan said he knew his son was brought 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 couldn't legally have guns inside the state. Travis Reinking surrendered his weapons to his father, who later returned them to him sooner or later earlier than the fatal shooting at a Waffle Home in Nashville, prosecutors mentioned.

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

Travis Reinking was sentenced in February to life in prison without the opportunity of parole after being convicted of four 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 people had been tormenting him. He contacted law enforcement a number of instances 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 space on the White House grounds and demanded to meet with then-President Donald Trump.