US Man Connected to Australian Shooters Strikes Plea Bargain with Prosecutors
A US man associated with the perpetrators behind the deadly Wieambilla, Australia attack that took six lives – among them two Queensland police officers – has agreed to a watered-down plea deal.
Resident of Arizona Donald Day Jr. will face court on 21 October after finalizing the plea deal with American authorities.
The individual with prior convictions, referred to online as “Geronimo's Bones”, is anticipated to plead guilty to a sole offense of illegally owning firearms and ammunition in a arrangement to be sanctioned by the court this month.
Links to Aussie Gunmen
Investigators confirmed direct links between Day and Gareth and Stacey Train through online posts.
The Trains, along with Gareth’s brother Nathaniel, murdered Queensland police officers Arnold and McCrow, and neighbor Alan Dare at a remote property in Wieambilla in 2022.
They were fatally shot in a gun battle with law enforcement, following a protracted siege at the rural site.
American officials said the accused communicated via social media with the perpetrators during the period of the fatal attack.
Day referred to Queensland officers as “malignant, malformed and malevolent”, and declared they should be shown “no mercy whatsoever”, telling the Trains he desired to be at the scene in person.
Legal filings detailed how Gareth and Stacey Train had uploaded an apocalyptic video on YouTube after the shootings, stating 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 said.
Firearms Cache and Legal Proceedings
Court documents show the defendant accumulated a cache of nine high-powered firearms and numerous bullets of ammunition at a rural property in Heber, Arizona, 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 agreement filed in the legal system.
He stated he regularly accessed both the gun room and the firearms, and also trained others on how to operate the guns properly.
The plea deal will result in charges dropped that pertain to the accused making of threats to public figures and federal 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 two years in custody, faces a maximum penalty of up to 15 years imprisonment in jail or a fine of $250,000 (A$381,500), but the plea deal stipulates he will be judged under the minimum range of the sentencing guidelines.
