US Man Linked to Australian Gunmen Strikes Plea Deal with Prosecutors
An American citizen linked with the perpetrators behind the fatal Wieambilla shooting that claimed the lives of six individuals – among them two officers from Queensland – has accepted a less severe plea agreement.
Resident of Arizona Donald Day Jr. will face court on 21 October after striking the bargain with American authorities.
The convicted felon, known online as “Geronimo's Bones”, is anticipated to admit guilt to a sole charge of illegally owning firearms and ammunition in a deal to be sanctioned by the court in the current month.
Links to Australian Shooters
Investigators confirmed direct links between the defendant and the Train couple through digital communications.
The Trains, along with Nathaniel Train, killed Queensland police officers Arnold and McCrow, and neighbour Alan Dare at a remote property in Wieambilla, Queensland in 2022.
The Trains were fatally shot in a gun battle with police, following a extended standoff at the regional property.
US prosecutors said Day corresponded via online platforms with the perpetrators around the time of the deadly ambush.
Day described Queensland police as “malignant, malformed and malevolent”, and declared they should be shown “no mercy whatsoever”, informing them he wanted to be at the scene in person.
Court documents detailed how Gareth and Stacey Train had uploaded an end-times video on YouTube after the shootings, stating police “attempted to kill us, and we retaliated”.
“If you don’t defend yourself against these devils and demons, you’re a coward … we’ll see you at home, Don. Love you,” the Trains expressed.
Weapons Stockpile and Court Case
Court documents reveal Day accumulated a collection of multiple powerful guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition at a rural property in Heber, AZ, that was equipped with a shooting range, weapons room and sniper hide.
“The firearms and ammunition were kept in the mobile home I shared with S.S., in a room we called the ‘gun room’,” he said in the plea deal submitted in the legal system.
Day said he regularly accessed both the weapons storage and the firearms, and also trained individuals on how to operate the firearms properly.
The plea deal will lead to dismissed counts that pertain to the accused making of threats to officials and FBI agents.
According to legal files, the individual had been prohibited from possessing weapons and firearms because of his history of violent crimes.
Day, who has served 24 months in custody, could receive a highest sentence of up to 15 years in prison or a penalty of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the agreement stipulates he will be judged under the minimum range of the legal sentencing standards.
