American Individual Linked to Australian Gunmen Strikes Plea Bargain with Federal Attorneys
A US man associated with the perpetrators behind the deadly Wieambilla shooting that took six lives – among them two Queensland police officers – has accepted a less severe plea deal.
Arizona-based Donald Day Jr. will face court on October 21 after striking the plea deal with American authorities.
The individual with prior convictions, referred to online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is anticipated to plead guilty to a sole charge of unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition in a arrangement to be approved by the judiciary in the current month.
Links to Australian Shooters
Investigators established direct links between Day and Gareth and Stacey Train through online posts.
This couple, along with Gareth’s brother Nathaniel, killed Queensland police officers Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbour Alan Dare at a remote property in Wieambilla, Queensland in 2022.
They were killed in a gun battle with police, following a extended standoff at the regional property.
American officials stated the accused communicated via online platforms with the Trains around the time of the deadly ambush.
Day described Queensland police as “evil, corrupt, and wicked”, and said they should be shown “absolutely no quarter”, telling the Trains he desired to be at the scene physically.
Legal filings detailed how the couple had posted an end-times recording on the video platform after the incident, stating authorities “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,” the Trains said.
Firearms Cache and Legal Proceedings
Court documents reveal Day accumulated a collection of nine high-powered firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammo at a country estate in Heber, AZ, that was equipped 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',” he said in the agreement submitted in court.
He said he frequently used both the gun room and the firearms, and also instructed individuals on how to use the guns properly.
The bargain will result in charges dropped that pertain to the accused issuing threats to officials and FBI agents.
Based on legal files, the individual had been banned from possessing guns and arms 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 imprisonment in jail or a penalty of $250,000 (A$381,500), but the plea deal stipulates he will be judged under the low end of the legal sentencing standards.