American Individual Connected to Australian Gunmen Secures Plea Deal with Prosecutors
A US man linked with the perpetrators behind the deadly Wieambilla shooting that claimed six lives – including two officers from Queensland – has agreed to a watered-down plea agreement.
Arizona-based Donald Day Jr will appear in court on October 21 after striking the plea deal with American authorities.
The convicted felon, known online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is anticipated to plead guilty to a single charge of unlawfully possessing guns and bullets in a deal to be sanctioned by the court in the current month.
Links to Aussie Gunmen
Authorities established clear connections between Day and Gareth and Stacey Train through online posts.
The Trains, along with Nathaniel Train, killed Queensland police officers 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 extended standoff at the rural site.
US prosecutors stated the accused communicated via social media with the perpetrators around the time of the deadly ambush.
Day referred to Queensland officers as “evil, corrupt, and wicked”, and said they should be shown “no mercy whatsoever”, telling them he wanted to be at Wieambilla in person.
Legal filings detailed how the couple had uploaded an end-times recording on YouTube after the shootings, stating police “attempted to kill us, and we retaliated”.
“Failing to stand against these evil forces makes one a coward … We will meet you at home, Don. With love,” they said.
Firearms Cache and Court Case
Legal records show Day stockpiled a cache of nine high-powered firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammo at a rural property in Heber, Arizona, that was outfitted 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’,” Day admitted in the agreement submitted in the legal system.
He stated he frequently used both the weapons storage and the weapons, and also trained others on how to use the firearms correctly.
The plea deal will lead to charges dropped that relate to the accused issuing threats to public figures and FBI agents.
Based on court documents, the individual had been prohibited from possessing weapons and firearms because of his violent criminal history.
The defendant, who has served two years in custody, faces a maximum penalty of up to 15 years imprisonment in jail or a penalty of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the agreement specifies he will be judged under the minimum range of the sentencing guidelines.
