Travis Reinking pleads not guilty as victims’ families watch
Waffle House shooting suspect Travis Reinking pleaded not guilty Wednesday on 17 charges related to a mass shooting that killed four people and injured several others in Nashville last year.
During a brief hearing, Reinking, 30, waived his appearance in the courtroom of Davidson County Criminal Court Judge Mark Fishburn.
Reinking is charged in the April 22 deaths of Taurean C. Sanderlin, 29; Joe R. Perez, 20; Deebony Groves, 21; and Akilah Dasilva, 23.
A Davidson County grand jury last month found the evidence against Reinking was strong enough to support four counts of premeditated first-degree murder, four counts of attempted first degree murder, and a slate of other charges.
He is represented by Jon Wing, a Davidson County public defender.
At an arraignment, defendants or their attorneys enter a plea with the court. Wing did so on Reinking’s behalf Wednesday morning.
Several of the victims’ family members appeared in court Wednesday, including the mothers of Groves and Dasilva.
“Progress is in the making and that does my heart good,” Groves’ mother, Shirl Baker, told reporters outside the courtroom after the plea was entered. “The weight is still heavy. This loss is still heavy, but we’re enduring.”
“I’m just happy to be moving forward ... to reach justice for our children,” said Dasilva’s mother, Shaundelle Brooks.
Brooks, who has attended nearly every court hearing on the case with Baker, said it was important family members showed up.
“It’s part of the healing process,” she said.
Legal experts have said an insanity defense is possible in the case. That would focus on Reinking’s mental state at the time of the shooting.
The case against Reinking was put on hold for months after a judge committed him for mental health treatment, saying he suffered from untreated schizophrenia.
Reinking was deemed competent to face the charges in October.
But on Wednesday, that defense was not addressed in open court.