US Individual Connected to Australian Shooters Secures Plea Deal with Federal Attorneys
A US man linked with the culprits behind the deadly Wieambilla, Australia attack that took the lives of six individuals – among them two Queensland police officers – has accepted a watered-down 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, known online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is expected to admit guilt to a sole offense of illegally owning guns and bullets in a deal to be sanctioned by the judiciary in the current month.
Connections to Aussie Gunmen
Authorities confirmed clear connections between Day and Gareth and Stacey Train through digital communications.
This couple, along with Nathaniel Train, killed Queensland police officers Arnold and McCrow, and neighbor Alan Dare at a isolated location in Wieambilla in 2022.
The Trains were fatally shot in a final shootout with law enforcement, following a extended standoff at the rural site.
US prosecutors said Day corresponded 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 “absolutely no quarter”, telling the Trains he wanted to be at the scene physically.
Court documents outlined how Gareth and Stacey Train had posted an end-times video on YouTube after the shootings, stating police “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 said.
Firearms Cache and Legal Proceedings
Court documents reveal the defendant stockpiled a collection of nine high-powered firearms and numerous bullets of ammo at a country estate in Heber, Arizona, that was equipped with a shooting range, gun room and sniper hide.
“The guns and ammo were stored in the trailer I occupied with S.S., within a space we named the 'gun room',” he admitted in the plea deal filed in the legal system.
Day stated he frequently used both the gun room and the firearms, and also instructed individuals on how to use the guns correctly.
The bargain will result in dismissed counts that relate to the alleged making of threats to officials and FBI agents.
According to legal files, the individual had been prohibited from owning guns and arms because of his history of violent crimes.
Day, who has completed two years in detention, could receive a highest sentence of up to 15 years in prison or a penalty of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the plea deal specifies he will be judged under the minimum range of the legal sentencing standards.
