American Individual Connected to Aussie Shooters Strikes Plea Bargain with Prosecutors
A US man linked with the perpetrators behind the deadly Wieambilla attack that claimed the lives of six individuals – among them two Queensland police officers – has agreed to a less severe plea agreement.
Resident of Arizona Donald Day Jr. will face court on 21 October after striking the plea deal with US prosecutors.
The individual with prior convictions, known online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is expected to admit guilt to a single charge of unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition in a deal to be sanctioned by the court this month.
Connections to Australian Shooters
Investigators established direct links between the defendant and the Train couple through digital communications.
The Trains, along with Gareth’s brother Nathaniel, killed officers from Queensland Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbor Alan Dare at a isolated location in Wieambilla, Queensland in 2022.
The Trains were killed in a final shootout with law enforcement, following a extended standoff at the rural site.
American officials stated Day communicated via social media with the perpetrators during the period of the deadly ambush.
He referred to Queensland police as “malignant, malformed and malevolent”, and said they should be shown “no mercy whatsoever”, informing them he desired to be at Wieambilla in person.
Court documents outlined how Gareth and Stacey Train had posted an end-times recording on the video platform after the incident, saying police “attempted to kill us, and we retaliated”.
“Failing to stand against these evil forces makes one a coward … We will meet you at home, Don. With love,” the Trains said.
Firearms Cache and Court Case
Court documents show the defendant accumulated a cache of multiple powerful guns and numerous bullets of ammo at a country estate in Heber, AZ, that was equipped with a shooting range, gun room and sniper’s nest.
“The firearms and ammunition were kept in the mobile home I shared with S.S., in a room we called the ‘gun room’,” Day said in the plea deal submitted in court.
He said he regularly accessed both the gun room and the weapons, and also instructed others on how to operate the firearms correctly.
The bargain will lead to charges dropped that relate to the accused making of threats to officials and federal agents.
Based on court documents, the individual had been banned from owning weapons and firearms because of his violent criminal history.
Day, who has served two years in custody, could receive a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in prison or a penalty of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the plea deal specifies he will be judged under the low end of the legal sentencing standards.
