US Man Connected to Australian Shooters Secures Plea Bargain with Prosecutors
A US man linked with the perpetrators behind the deadly Wieambilla, Australia shooting that claimed the lives of six individuals – among them two Queensland police officers – has agreed to a less severe plea agreement.
Arizona-based Donald Day Jr will appear in court on 21 October after finalizing the bargain with US prosecutors.
The individual with prior convictions, referred to 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 judiciary this month.
Links to Australian Shooters
Investigators established clear connections between Day and the Train couple through online posts.
This couple, along with Nathaniel Train, murdered Queensland police officers Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbour Alan Dare at a remote property in Wieambilla, Queensland in 2022.
The Trains were killed in a final shootout with police, following a extended standoff at the regional property.
American officials said the accused corresponded via social media with the Trains around the time of the fatal attack.
Day referred to Queensland officers as “evil, corrupt, and wicked”, and said they should be shown “absolutely no quarter”, telling them he desired to be at Wieambilla in person.
Court documents detailed how Gareth and Stacey Train had uploaded an apocalyptic video on YouTube after the incident, saying police “came to kill us and we killed them”.
“Failing to stand against these evil forces makes one a coward … We will meet you at home, Don. With love,” the Trains said.
Weapons Stockpile and Legal Proceedings
Court documents reveal the defendant stockpiled a cache of multiple powerful guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition at a country estate in Heber, Arizona, that was equipped with a gun 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',” Day admitted in the agreement filed in court.
Day said he frequently used both the gun room and the firearms, and also trained individuals on how to operate the guns properly.
The bargain will lead to dismissed counts that pertain to the alleged issuing threats to public figures and FBI agents.
Based on legal files, Day had been prohibited from owning weapons and firearms because of his history of violent crimes.
The defendant, who has served two years in detention, faces a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in jail or a penalty of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the plea deal stipulates he will be judged under the minimum range of the legal sentencing standards.
