US Individual Connected to Aussie Gunmen Secures Plea Bargain with Federal Attorneys
An American citizen associated with the perpetrators behind the deadly Wieambilla, Australia attack that claimed six lives – among them two officers from Queensland – has accepted a watered-down plea deal.
Arizona-based Donald Day Jr. will face court on October 21 after striking the plea deal with US prosecutors.
The individual with prior convictions, known online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is expected to plead guilty to a single offense of unlawfully possessing guns and bullets in a arrangement to be sanctioned by the judiciary this month.
Links to Australian Shooters
Investigators confirmed direct links between Day and the Train couple through online posts.
This couple, along with Nathaniel Train, killed Queensland police officers Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbour Alan Dare at a isolated location in Wieambilla, Queensland in 2022.
The Trains were killed in a gun battle with police, following a extended standoff at the rural site.
American officials said Day corresponded 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 “absolutely no quarter”, informing the Trains he wanted to be at Wieambilla in person.
Legal filings detailed how Gareth and Stacey Train had uploaded an apocalyptic video on YouTube after the shootings, 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 said.
Weapons Stockpile and Legal Proceedings
Court documents reveal the defendant stockpiled a cache of nine high-powered firearms and numerous bullets of ammo at a country estate in Heber, Arizona, that was outfitted with a shooting 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 the legal system.
Day said he frequently used both the gun room and the weapons, and also instructed individuals on how to operate the guns correctly.
The plea deal will lead to dismissed counts that relate to the accused issuing threats to public figures and FBI agents.
According to court documents, Day had been prohibited from owning guns and arms because of his violent criminal history.
The defendant, who has completed two years in detention, could receive a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in prison or a penalty of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the plea deal specifies he will be judged under the low end of the sentencing guidelines.