US Man Connected to Australian Gunmen Strikes Plea Deal with Prosecutors
An American citizen linked with the perpetrators behind the deadly Wieambilla, Australia attack that took the lives of six individuals – including two Queensland police officers – has accepted a less severe plea deal.
Arizona-based Donald Day Jr. will face court on 21 October after finalizing the bargain with American authorities.
The convicted felon, referred to online as “Geronimo's Bones”, is anticipated to plead guilty 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
Investigators confirmed clear connections between Day and Gareth and Stacey Train through online posts.
The Trains, along with Gareth’s brother Nathaniel, murdered Queensland police officers Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbor Alan Dare at a remote property in Wieambilla, Queensland in 2022.
They were fatally shot in a final shootout with law enforcement, following a extended standoff at the rural site.
American officials said the accused communicated via social media with the Trains around the time of the deadly ambush.
Day referred to Queensland police as “malignant, malformed and malevolent”, and said they should be shown “no mercy whatsoever”, informing the Trains he desired to be at the scene physically.
Court documents detailed how Gareth and Stacey Train had uploaded an apocalyptic recording on the video platform after the incident, stating authorities “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,” the Trains expressed.
Firearms Cache and Court Case
Court documents reveal Day stockpiled a cache of multiple powerful guns and numerous bullets of ammo at a country estate in Heber, Arizona, that was outfitted with a gun 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’,” he said in the agreement submitted in the legal system.
Day stated he regularly accessed both the weapons storage and the firearms, and also instructed others on how to use the guns correctly.
The plea deal will lead to charges dropped that relate to the accused making of threats to public figures and federal agents.
According to court documents, the individual had been prohibited from owning weapons and firearms because of his violent criminal history.
The defendant, who has served 24 months in custody, faces a highest sentence of up to 15 years in jail or a fine of $250,000 (A$381,500), but the agreement specifies he will be sentenced under the minimum range of the legal sentencing standards.
