US Man Linked to Aussie Gunmen Secures Plea Bargain with Prosecutors
An American citizen linked with the perpetrators behind the deadly Wieambilla shooting that took six lives – including two Queensland police officers – has agreed to a watered-down plea agreement.
Arizona-based Donald Day Jr will face court on 21 October after striking the bargain with US prosecutors.
The convicted felon, referred to online as “Geronimo's Bones”, is expected to admit guilt to a single offense of illegally owning firearms and ammunition in a arrangement to be approved by the court in the current month.
Links to Aussie Gunmen
Authorities established clear connections between Day and the Train couple through online posts.
The Trains, along with Gareth’s brother Nathaniel, murdered officers from Queensland Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbour Alan Dare at a isolated location in Wieambilla in 2022.
They were fatally shot in a final shootout with police, following a protracted siege at the regional property.
American officials said Day communicated via social media with the perpetrators around the time of the fatal attack.
Day described Queensland police as “malignant, malformed and malevolent”, and declared they should be shown “absolutely no quarter”, telling them he wanted to be at the scene physically.
Court documents detailed how Gareth and Stacey Train had posted an apocalyptic recording on YouTube after the shootings, saying authorities “attempted to kill us, and we retaliated”.
“Failing to stand against these evil forces makes one a coward … We will meet you at home, Don. With love,” they expressed.
Firearms Cache and Legal Proceedings
Court documents show the defendant accumulated a cache of multiple powerful guns and numerous bullets of ammunition at a country estate in Heber, AZ, that was outfitted 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 court.
Day stated he regularly accessed both the gun room and the firearms, and also trained individuals on how to use the firearms correctly.
The plea deal will result in dismissed counts that relate to the alleged issuing threats to public figures and federal agents.
Based on court documents, Day had been banned from possessing weapons and firearms because of his violent criminal history.
Day, who has served 24 months in detention, faces a highest sentence of up to 15 years imprisonment in prison or a penalty of $250,000 (A$381,500), but the agreement specifies he will be sentenced under the minimum range of the sentencing guidelines.
