US Man Linked to Aussie Shooters Strikes Plea Bargain with Federal Attorneys
A US man associated with the perpetrators behind the deadly Wieambilla, Australia attack that took the lives of six individuals – among them two officers from Queensland – has agreed to a less severe plea agreement.
Resident of Arizona Donald Day Jr. will appear in court on 21 October after finalizing the bargain with US prosecutors.
The individual with prior convictions, referred to online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is expected to admit guilt to a single offense of illegally owning firearms and ammunition in a deal to be approved by the judiciary this month.
Links to Aussie Gunmen
Investigators confirmed direct links between Day and Gareth and Stacey Train through online posts.
This couple, along with Gareth’s brother Nathaniel, killed officers from Queensland Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbour Alan Dare at a remote property in Wieambilla, Queensland in 2022.
They were killed in a final shootout with police, following a protracted siege at the regional property.
US prosecutors said Day communicated via social media with the Trains during the period of the deadly ambush.
Day described Queensland officers as “evil, corrupt, and wicked”, and declared they should be shown “no mercy whatsoever”, telling the Trains he desired to be at Wieambilla physically.
Legal filings detailed how Gareth and Stacey Train had posted an end-times recording on the video platform 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 will meet you at home, Don. With love,” they expressed.
Weapons Stockpile and Court Case
Court documents reveal the defendant stockpiled a collection of nine high-powered firearms and numerous bullets of ammo at a country estate in Heber, AZ, that was outfitted 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 filed in the legal system.
He said he regularly accessed both the gun room and the weapons, and also trained individuals on how to use the firearms properly.
The bargain will result in charges dropped that relate to the accused making of threats to public figures and federal agents.
According to legal files, Day had been prohibited from possessing guns and arms because of his history of violent crimes.
The defendant, who has served two years in custody, faces a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in prison or a penalty of $250,000 (A$381,500), but the plea deal specifies he will be sentenced under the minimum range of the legal sentencing standards.
