US Individual Connected to Aussie Gunmen Secures Plea Deal with Federal Attorneys
An American citizen associated with the culprits behind the fatal Wieambilla, Australia attack that took 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 bargain with American authorities.
The convicted felon, referred to online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is anticipated to plead guilty to a sole charge of unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition in a deal to be approved by the court in the current month.
Connections to Australian Shooters
Authorities established clear connections between the defendant and Gareth and Stacey Train through online posts.
The Trains, along with Gareth’s brother Nathaniel, murdered Queensland police officers Arnold and McCrow, and neighbour Alan Dare at a remote property in Wieambilla in 2022.
The Trains were fatally shot in a final shootout with law enforcement, following a protracted siege at the regional property.
American officials stated Day corresponded via online platforms with the Trains during the period of the deadly ambush.
He referred to Queensland officers as “evil, corrupt, and wicked”, and declared they should be shown “absolutely no quarter”, informing the Trains he desired to be at the scene physically.
Court documents detailed how Gareth and Stacey Train had uploaded an apocalyptic recording on YouTube after the shootings, stating police “came to kill us and we killed them”.
“Failing to stand against these evil forces makes one a coward … we’ll see you at home, Don. Love you,” the Trains said.
Firearms Cache and Legal Proceedings
Legal records show Day accumulated a cache of nine high-powered firearms and numerous bullets of ammunition at a rural property in Heber, AZ, that was equipped with a shooting range, gun 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 admitted in the plea deal submitted in court.
Day said he frequently used both the weapons storage and the firearms, and also trained individuals on how to operate the firearms correctly.
The bargain will result in charges dropped that pertain to the accused making of threats to public figures and FBI agents.
Based on legal files, Day had been banned from possessing guns and arms because of his violent criminal history.
Day, who has served two years in detention, faces a maximum penalty of up to 15 years imprisonment in jail or a fine of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the plea deal specifies he will be judged under the low end of the sentencing guidelines.
