US Individual Connected to Australian Shooters Strikes Plea Bargain with Federal Attorneys
An American citizen linked with the perpetrators behind the fatal Wieambilla shooting that claimed the lives of six individuals – among them two Queensland police officers – has accepted a watered-down plea deal.
Resident of Arizona Donald Day Jr. will face court on October 21 after striking the plea deal with US prosecutors.
The individual with prior convictions, referred to online as “Geronimo's Bones”, is anticipated to admit guilt to a single charge of illegally owning guns and bullets in a deal to be approved by the judiciary this month.
Connections to Australian Shooters
Authorities established clear connections between Day and Gareth and Stacey Train through digital communications.
This couple, along with Nathaniel Train, murdered officers from Queensland Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbour Alan Dare at a remote property in Wieambilla in 2022.
The Trains were killed in a final shootout with law enforcement, following a extended standoff at the regional property.
US prosecutors stated Day communicated via social media with the Trains around the time of the deadly ambush.
He 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 the scene in person.
Legal filings detailed how Gareth and Stacey Train had posted an apocalyptic video on the video platform after the shootings, saying 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.
Weapons Stockpile and Legal Proceedings
Court documents show Day stockpiled a cache of multiple powerful guns and numerous bullets of ammo at a rural property in Heber, AZ, that was equipped with a shooting range, weapons 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',” Day admitted in the agreement submitted in the legal system.
He stated he regularly accessed both the weapons storage and the firearms, and also trained individuals on how to use the guns properly.
The bargain will lead to dismissed counts that pertain to the accused issuing threats to officials and federal agents.
According to legal files, Day had been banned from owning weapons and firearms because of his violent criminal history.
The defendant, who has completed 24 months in custody, faces a maximum penalty of up to 15 years imprisonment in prison or a penalty of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the agreement stipulates he will be judged under the minimum range of the sentencing guidelines.