Attorney in Waffle House shooting case pursues an insanity defense as trial begins in Nashville

The trial of the man who shot and killed four people at an Antioch Waffle House began Monday. Travis Reinking’s defense attorney argued he was not in his right mind when he opened fire at the restaurant in 2018.

Reinking is charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of Taurean Sanderlin, Joe Perez, Akilah Dasilva and DeEbony Groves. He also faces several counts of attempted first-degree murder for shooting and injuring other patrons.

In Tennessee, it’s difficult to prove somebody is not guilty by reason of insanity, because the burden of proof is on the defense. They have to show the defendant was mentally ill at the time of the crime and that they couldn’t understand right from wrong.

Still, Reinking’s attorney Luke Evans began to build that case.

“You’re going to hear that Mr. Reinking was driven by delusions,” Evans told jurors.

Those include delusions about the singer Taylor Swift and aliens. He says Reinking believed he was commanded by God to go to the Waffle House that night.

Evans says the defense has no plans to contest the events that took place, but rather what was happening in Reinking’s mind that led to the shooting.

“What the proof is going to show in this case is that Travis Reinking is severely mentally ill,” he says.

But assistant district attorney Jan Norman argued Reinking’s actions were calculated and methodical.

“He chose which of his four firearms to take with him — chose the one that had the highest capacity magazine,” Norman says.

She points out that he purchased extra magazines days before, and how he chose a parking spot so he could see everyone inside the Waffle House before he began shooting.

“Travis Reinking went there to take something that couldn’t be given back,” Norman said. “He went there to take lives.”

And she says when law enforcement finally found Reinking after a two-day search, he complied with commands from officers.

Reinking was ordered to be treated for schizophrenia after he was taken into custody, though he was later found competent to stand trial. Prosecutors are pursuing a sentence of life without parole.