American Man Linked to Aussie Gunmen Strikes Plea Bargain with Federal Attorneys
A US man associated with the perpetrators behind the deadly Wieambilla shooting that claimed six lives – among them two Queensland police officers – has accepted a watered-down plea deal.
Resident of Arizona Donald Day Jr will appear in court on 21 October after finalizing 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 guns and bullets in a arrangement to be sanctioned by the court this month.
Links to Australian Shooters
Investigators established direct links between Day and the Train couple through online posts.
This couple, 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, Queensland in 2022.
The Trains were killed in a gun battle with police, following a protracted siege at the rural site.
US prosecutors said the accused corresponded via social media 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 “no mercy whatsoever”, telling the Trains he wanted to be at the scene in person.
Court documents detailed how the couple had uploaded an end-times recording on YouTube after the incident, stating 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,” the Trains expressed.
Weapons Stockpile and Legal Proceedings
Legal records show Day accumulated a collection of multiple powerful guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition at a country estate in Heber, Arizona, that was outfitted with a shooting range, gun room and sniper hide.
“The firearms and ammunition were kept in the mobile home I shared with S.S., in a room we called the ‘gun room’,” Day admitted in the plea deal filed in court.
He stated he regularly accessed both the gun room and the firearms, and also instructed others on how to use the guns correctly.
The plea deal will result in charges dropped that pertain to the accused making of threats to officials and FBI 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 completed 24 months in custody, could receive a highest sentence of up to 15 years in jail or a penalty of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the agreement stipulates he will be sentenced under the minimum range of the legal sentencing standards.
