US Individual Connected to Australian Gunmen Strikes Plea Deal with Prosecutors
An American citizen linked with the culprits behind the fatal Wieambilla shooting that claimed six lives – among them two officers from Queensland – has accepted a less severe plea agreement.
Arizona-based Donald Day Jr will face court on 21 October after finalizing the plea deal with US prosecutors.
The individual with prior convictions, referred to online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is expected to plead guilty to a sole charge of illegally owning firearms and ammunition in a arrangement to be sanctioned by the court in the current month.
Links to Aussie Gunmen
Investigators confirmed clear connections between the defendant and Gareth and Stacey Train through online posts.
The Trains, along with Nathaniel Train, killed officers from Queensland Arnold and McCrow, and neighbor Alan Dare at a remote property in Wieambilla, Queensland in 2022.
The Trains were killed in a gun battle with law enforcement, following a extended standoff at the regional property.
American officials stated Day communicated via online platforms with the Trains during the period of the fatal attack.
Day described Queensland officers as “malignant, malformed and malevolent”, and said they should be shown “no mercy whatsoever”, informing them he wanted to be at the scene physically.
Court documents outlined how the couple had posted an apocalyptic video on YouTube after the incident, saying authorities “came to kill us and we killed them”.
“If you don’t defend yourself against these devils and demons, you’re a coward … We will meet you at home, Don. With love,” they expressed.
Firearms Cache and Legal Proceedings
Legal records reveal Day stockpiled a cache of nine high-powered firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition at a country estate in Heber, AZ, that was equipped with a shooting 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 filed in court.
Day stated he regularly accessed both the gun room and the weapons, and also instructed others on how to operate the firearms correctly.
The bargain will lead to dismissed counts that relate to the accused issuing threats to officials and FBI agents.
Based on court documents, Day had been banned from possessing weapons and firearms because of his history of violent crimes.
Day, who has completed 24 months in detention, could receive a maximum penalty of up to 15 years imprisonment in prison or a fine of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the plea deal specifies he will be sentenced under the minimum range of the legal sentencing standards.
