US Man Linked to Aussie Shooters Secures Plea Deal with Prosecutors
An American citizen associated with the perpetrators behind the deadly Wieambilla, Australia attack that claimed 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 October 21 after striking the bargain with US prosecutors.
The individual with prior convictions, referred to online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is anticipated to admit guilt to a single offense of unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition in a arrangement to be sanctioned by the judiciary this month.
Links to Australian Shooters
Investigators established direct links between Day and the Train couple through online posts.
The Trains, along with Gareth’s brother Nathaniel, killed Queensland police officers Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbor Alan Dare at a remote property in Wieambilla in 2022.
The Trains were killed in a final shootout with police, following a extended standoff at the regional property.
US prosecutors said the accused corresponded via social media with the perpetrators around the time of the deadly ambush.
Day 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.
Court documents detailed how Gareth and Stacey Train had posted an apocalyptic recording on YouTube after the incident, stating authorities “came to kill us and we killed them”.
“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.
Firearms Cache and Court Case
Court documents show Day accumulated a cache of multiple powerful guns and hundreds of rounds of ammo at a country estate in Heber, Arizona, that was equipped with a shooting range, gun 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’,” Day admitted in the plea deal submitted in the legal system.
Day stated he frequently used both the gun room and the weapons, and also trained others on how to operate the firearms properly.
The plea deal will lead to dismissed counts that pertain to the alleged making of threats to public figures and federal agents.
According to court documents, the individual had been banned from possessing guns and arms because of his violent criminal history.
The defendant, who has served 24 months in detention, could receive a maximum penalty of up to 15 years imprisonment in jail or a fine of $250,000 (A$381,500), but the agreement specifies he will be judged under the minimum range of the legal sentencing standards.
