American Individual Connected to Australian Gunmen Strikes Plea Deal with Prosecutors
A US man linked with the perpetrators behind the fatal Wieambilla, Australia attack that took six lives – among them two officers from Queensland – has agreed to a less severe plea deal.
Arizona-based Donald Day Jr will face court on 21 October after striking the bargain with US prosecutors.
The convicted felon, known online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is anticipated to admit guilt to a sole charge of unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition in a deal to be sanctioned by the court in the current month.
Links to Australian Shooters
Authorities established clear connections between Day and Gareth and Stacey Train through digital communications.
This couple, along with Gareth’s brother Nathaniel, killed officers from Queensland Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbor Alan Dare at a remote property in Wieambilla in 2022.
The Trains were fatally shot in a final shootout with law enforcement, following a protracted siege at the regional property.
American officials said the accused communicated via social media with the Trains during the period of the deadly ambush.
He referred to Queensland police as “evil, corrupt, and wicked”, and declared they should be shown “no mercy whatsoever”, telling them he wanted to be at the scene physically.
Legal filings detailed how Gareth and Stacey Train had uploaded an end-times video on YouTube after the incident, stating authorities “came to kill us and we killed them”.
“Failing to stand against these evil forces makes one a coward … We will meet you at home, Don. With love,” they expressed.
Firearms Cache and Court Case
Court documents show the defendant accumulated a collection of multiple powerful guns and hundreds of rounds of ammo at a rural property in Heber, AZ, that was outfitted with a gun range, gun room and sniper hide.
“The guns and ammo were stored in the trailer I occupied with S.S., within a space we named the 'gun room',” Day said in the agreement submitted in court.
Day stated he frequently used both the weapons storage and the weapons, and also trained individuals on how to operate the guns correctly.
The plea deal will result in charges dropped that relate to the alleged issuing threats to public figures and federal agents.
According to court documents, Day had been prohibited from owning weapons and firearms because of his violent criminal history.
Day, who has completed 24 months in custody, faces a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in jail or a fine of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the agreement stipulates he will be sentenced under the minimum range of the sentencing guidelines.
