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 Related Press

19 Could 2022, 17:42

• 3 min learn

PEKIN, Sick. -- 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 4 individuals 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 handled for mental sickness throughout the previous five years, the ( Peoria) Journal Star reported. He remains 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 rural Morton, Illinois, man knew his son, Travis Reinking, had undergone mental well being therapy in 2016.

In Might 2016, police and fire personnel responded to a pharmacy car parking zone in Morton the place Travis Reinking told 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 delivered 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 shopper didn’t know his son had been handled for psychological well being issues on the hospital. Sullivan mentioned he knew his son was delivered to the hospital but didn’t know why, and was not guilty of the charge.

Because the younger Reinking had his firearm owner’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 Home in Nashville, prosecutors stated.

The assault-style rifle he utilized 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 opportunity of parole after being convicted of four counts of first-degree murder and different fees. He opened fire 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 showed he had schizophrenia and suffered delusions for years, believing unknown individuals were tormenting him. He contacted regulation enforcement several 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 satisfy with then-President Donald Trump.