US Man Connected to Aussie Gunmen Secures Plea Deal with Prosecutors
An American citizen associated with the culprits behind the fatal Wieambilla attack that claimed the lives of six individuals – including two officers from Queensland – has agreed to a less severe plea deal.
Resident of Arizona Donald Day Jr. will appear in court on October 21 after finalizing the bargain with American authorities.
The convicted felon, referred to online as “Geronimo's Bones”, is expected to plead guilty to a single offense of illegally owning guns and bullets in a deal to be approved by the judiciary in the current month.
Links to Australian Shooters
Investigators confirmed clear connections between Day and the Train couple 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, Queensland in 2022.
They were killed in a final shootout with law enforcement, following a protracted siege at the regional property.
American officials stated Day communicated via social media with the Trains around the time of the fatal attack.
He referred to Queensland officers as “evil, corrupt, and wicked”, and declared they should be shown “absolutely no quarter”, informing them he desired to be at Wieambilla in person.
Legal filings detailed how the couple had posted an apocalyptic video on YouTube after the shootings, 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,” they expressed.
Weapons Stockpile and Court Case
Court documents reveal the defendant accumulated a cache of multiple powerful guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition at a country estate in Heber, AZ, that was equipped with a shooting range, weapons 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 submitted in the legal system.
He stated he frequently used 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 prohibited from owning guns and arms because of his history of violent crimes.
The defendant, who has served two years in custody, faces a highest sentence of up to 15 years imprisonment in jail or a penalty of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the plea deal stipulates he will be sentenced under the minimum range of the sentencing guidelines.
