American Individual Connected to Aussie Gunmen Secures Plea Bargain with Prosecutors
A US man associated with the culprits behind the deadly Wieambilla attack that claimed six lives – including two Queensland police officers – has agreed to a watered-down plea deal.
Arizona-based Donald Day Jr. will face court on October 21 after striking the plea deal with American authorities.
The individual with prior convictions, referred to online as “Geronimo's Bones”, is expected to plead guilty to a single charge of illegally owning guns and bullets in a deal to be sanctioned by the court this month.
Connections to Australian Shooters
Authorities confirmed clear connections between Day and Gareth and Stacey Train through digital communications.
The Trains, along with Nathaniel Train, murdered officers from Queensland Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbor Alan Dare at a isolated location in Wieambilla, Queensland in 2022.
The Trains were killed in a final shootout with police, following a protracted siege at the regional property.
US prosecutors said the accused communicated via online platforms with the Trains around the time of the deadly ambush.
He referred to Queensland officers as “evil, corrupt, and wicked”, and said they should be shown “absolutely no quarter”, informing them he wanted to be at Wieambilla physically.
Legal filings detailed how the couple had posted an apocalyptic video on the video platform after the incident, saying police “attempted to kill us, and we retaliated”.
“Failing to stand against these evil forces makes one a coward … we’ll see you at home, Don. Love you,” they said.
Weapons Stockpile and Legal Proceedings
Legal records show Day accumulated a cache of multiple powerful guns and numerous bullets of ammo at a country estate in Heber, Arizona, that was equipped with a shooting range, weapons room and sniper’s nest.
“The guns and ammo were stored in the trailer I occupied with S.S., within a space we named the 'gun room',” Day said in the plea deal filed in the legal system.
He said he regularly accessed both the gun room and the firearms, and also instructed others on how to use the firearms properly.
The plea deal will lead to dismissed counts that pertain to the alleged making of threats to public figures and FBI agents.
Based on court documents, the individual had been banned from owning weapons and firearms because of his history of violent crimes.
Day, who has served two years in detention, could receive a highest sentence of up to 15 years imprisonment in jail or a penalty of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the plea deal stipulates he will be judged under the minimum range of the sentencing guidelines.
