American Man Linked to Australian Gunmen Strikes Plea Deal with Federal Attorneys
An American citizen associated with the perpetrators behind the fatal Wieambilla, Australia shooting that claimed six lives – among them two Queensland police officers – has agreed to a watered-down plea agreement.
Resident of Arizona Donald Day Jr. will appear in court on October 21 after striking the plea deal with US prosecutors.
The individual with prior convictions, known online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is anticipated to plead guilty to a sole charge of illegally owning firearms and ammunition in a deal to be approved by the judiciary this month.
Links to Aussie Gunmen
Authorities confirmed direct links between Day and Gareth and Stacey Train through digital communications.
The Trains, along with Gareth’s brother Nathaniel, killed officers from Queensland Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbour Alan Dare at a isolated location in Wieambilla, Queensland in 2022.
The Trains were fatally shot in a gun battle with law enforcement, following a protracted siege at the rural site.
US prosecutors stated Day communicated via social media with the Trains around the time of the deadly ambush.
Day referred to Queensland police as “malignant, malformed and malevolent”, and declared they should be shown “no mercy whatsoever”, telling them he desired to be at the scene in person.
Court documents detailed how the couple had uploaded an apocalyptic recording on YouTube after the shootings, saying authorities “came to kill us and we killed them”.
“Failing to stand against these evil forces makes one a coward … we’ll see you at home, Don. Love you,” the Trains expressed.
Weapons Stockpile and Legal Proceedings
Court documents reveal Day stockpiled a collection of multiple powerful guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition at a country estate in Heber, Arizona, that was equipped with a gun range, weapons room and sniper’s nest.
“The guns and ammo were stored in the trailer I occupied with S.S., within a space we named the 'gun room',” he said in the plea deal submitted in the legal system.
Day stated he frequently used both the weapons storage and the weapons, and also instructed individuals on how to operate the guns properly.
The bargain will lead to dismissed counts that relate to the accused issuing threats to officials and FBI agents.
Based on court documents, Day had been prohibited from possessing weapons and firearms because of his history of violent crimes.
Day, who has completed 24 months in detention, faces a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in jail or a fine of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the agreement specifies he will be sentenced under the minimum range of the legal sentencing standards.
