American Individual Linked to Australian Shooters Strikes Plea Deal with Prosecutors
An American citizen linked with the perpetrators behind the fatal Wieambilla attack that took six lives – among them two officers from Queensland – has agreed to a watered-down plea deal.
Resident of Arizona Donald Day Jr will appear in court on 21 October after finalizing the bargain with American authorities.
The individual with prior convictions, known online as “Geronimo's Bones”, is expected to admit guilt to a sole charge of unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition in a deal to be approved by the court in the current month.
Links to Aussie Gunmen
Investigators confirmed direct links between Day and the Train couple through online posts.
The Trains, along with Gareth’s brother Nathaniel, killed officers from Queensland Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbor Alan Dare at a isolated location in Wieambilla in 2022.
They were killed in a gun battle with police, following a protracted siege at the rural site.
US prosecutors stated Day corresponded via social media with the perpetrators during the period of the fatal attack.
Day referred to Queensland police as “evil, corrupt, and wicked”, and said they should be shown “absolutely no quarter”, informing them he wanted to be at Wieambilla physically.
Legal filings detailed how Gareth and Stacey Train had posted an end-times recording on YouTube after the shootings, 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’ll see you at home, Don. Love you,” they expressed.
Weapons Stockpile and Court Case
Court documents show Day accumulated a cache of multiple powerful guns and hundreds of rounds of ammo at a country estate in Heber, AZ, that was outfitted with a shooting range, gun room and sniper hide.
“The guns and ammo were stored in the trailer I occupied with S.S., within a space we named the 'gun room',” he admitted in the plea deal submitted in court.
He stated he regularly accessed both the gun room and the weapons, and also instructed others on how to use the guns properly.
The plea deal will result in dismissed counts that pertain to the alleged issuing threats to public figures and federal agents.
Based on legal files, the individual had been banned from owning weapons and firearms because of his history of violent crimes.
Day, who has served 24 months in custody, faces a highest sentence of up to 15 years imprisonment in prison 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.
