US Individual Connected to Aussie Gunmen Strikes Plea Deal with Federal Attorneys
An American citizen linked with the culprits behind the deadly Wieambilla, Australia attack that claimed six lives – among them two Queensland police officers – has accepted a watered-down plea agreement.
Arizona-based Donald Day Jr. will appear in court on October 21 after striking the bargain with US prosecutors.
The individual with prior convictions, known online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is expected to plead guilty to a sole offense of unlawfully possessing guns and bullets in a arrangement to be sanctioned by the court in the current month.
Links to Australian Shooters
Investigators confirmed clear connections between the defendant and the Train couple through online posts.
The Trains, along with Nathaniel Train, murdered officers from Queensland Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbour 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 regional property.
American officials said Day corresponded via online platforms with the perpetrators during the period of the deadly ambush.
He described Queensland officers as “evil, corrupt, and wicked”, and said they should be shown “absolutely no quarter”, informing them he desired to be at Wieambilla physically.
Legal filings detailed how the couple had posted an end-times video on YouTube after the incident, saying police “attempted to kill us, and we retaliated”.
“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 Court Case
Legal records reveal the defendant stockpiled a cache of nine high-powered firearms and numerous bullets of ammunition at a rural property in Heber, Arizona, that was outfitted with a gun range, weapons 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’,” Day admitted in the plea deal filed in court.
He said he frequently used both the weapons storage and the weapons, and also trained others on how to operate the firearms properly.
The plea deal will lead to dismissed counts that pertain to the alleged making of threats to officials and FBI agents.
Based on legal files, the individual had been prohibited from possessing guns and arms because of his violent criminal history.
Day, who has served 24 months in custody, faces a maximum penalty of up to 15 years imprisonment in jail or a fine of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the agreement specifies he will be judged under the low end of the legal sentencing standards.
