Travis Reinking sentenced to life in prison without parole

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – After an emotional response to a jury that found Travis Reinking guilty on all counts related to the 2018 Antioch Waffle House shooting, Reinking was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

On Saturday, the jury heard shock statements and then determined that Reinking should be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The verdict was read shortly after 2 p.m.

On Friday, Reinking was found guilty on 16 counts, including four counts of first-degree murder, four counts of attempted first-degree murder, four counts of unlawful employment of [a] firearm during [the] commission of a felony and four counts of first degree felony murder.

The jury reached its verdict on Friday after deliberating for about three and a half hours.

Saturday’s sentencing comes nearly four years after the shooting that took the lives of four people, including DeEbony Groves, 21, Akilah Dasilva, 23, Taurean Sanderlin, 29, and Joe Perez, 20, in the early hours of April 22, 2018. Four others were injured.

The shooting occurred in the early morning hours of April 22, 2018 after Reinking pulled up to the Waffle House located on Murfreesboro Pike partially nude and armed with an AR-15.

Patricia Pérez, Joe’s mother, was the first to speak after the sentence. Joe became Reinking’s first victim when he was shot outside the restaurant.

“I have always been someone who they say is unbreakable, because no matter what our family has been through, I will always be the one to raise our family. This has broken me, not only my spirit… but also my mind,” she said.

Akilah Dasilva’s mother, Shaundelle Brooks, also spoke out. Since the tragedy, she has created a foundation to honor the memory of her son. Akilah died shortly after the shooting, succumbing to his injuries.

“Every morning I wake up with the same thought: my baby is gone. Every morning, before I even get out of bed, I relive that night in my head,” Brooks said. “Every morning I feel this unbearable sense of loss and sadness. I miss you. The pain is so great that some days I’m not even sure I can open my eyes.”

DeEbony Groves’ mother expressed her anguish over the loss of her daughter, who was only 21 years old.

“My days now are spent with weekly scheduled visits to the cemetery, which are usually on Sundays because I spend going to church and coming home,” Shirl Groves Baker said. “Many days of uncontrollable tears; I can’t seem to control them continually flowing… a broken heart in my soul.”

Taurean Sanderlin worked at the Waffle House, and his cousin remembered the many good times they had together, as well as the difficulty in explaining to his son that Taureen was not coming back.

“I don’t really talk much about my cousin, so my son came up to me and asked where I was, and then I had to look at him like he was my son… and I couldn’t explain it. I know I wasn’t able to explain everything. I’m pretty sure his grandmother or someone else had to explain it to him because probably to this day there will always be a part of me that will cry every time I talk about Taureen or see anything about him,” William. Murray said.

James Shaw Jr., who was dining at the Waffle House, was considered a hero after surveillance footage showed him tackling and disarming Reinking.

It took police approximately 34 hours to track down Reinking after the shooting. He was eventually apprehended in a wooded area down the road from Waffle House and near the apartment complex where he lived at the time.

Reinking was treated for schizophrenia before the trial could proceed. His treatment, added to the complications caused by the pandemic, delayed the trial for several months.

Out of grief, families have found ways to honor loved ones who were lost during the tragedy. The DaSilva Foundation was founded in memory of Akilah Dasilva, one of the four murder victims.

“My brother focused on gun violence. He was against violence. He was against guns. So it was only right that we were forced to continue that fight,” Brother Abede DaSilva said after the guilty verdict. “We started a foundation in Akilah’s name. The Akilah DaSilva Foundation. “Basically, not to completely take away guns, but to prevent people from being able to use weapons like AR-15s, explosive bullets, background checks, mental illness, and make sure guns don’t fall into the wrong hands of the wrong people. . and that is what we have mainly focused on.”

Reinking’s father, Jeff Reinking, is accused of returning the guns to Travis after he was tasked by police to keep them away from his son. The request came in 2017 from police in Tazwell County, Illinois, following an incident involving Travis and federal authorities.

Jeffrey Reinking faces criminal charges in Illinois.

Patricia Perez, mother of Joe Perez, told News 2 after Friday’s verdict that her next goal was to hold Jeffery Reinking accountable.

“I am going to fight to make sure that he also gets what he deserves in what he did wrong because his son was not the only one wrong here, he was too,” said Patricia Pérez.

Several families of victims have sued Jeffery Reinking in civil court.