US Man Connected to Australian Gunmen Secures Plea Deal with Federal Attorneys
A US man linked with the culprits behind the fatal Wieambilla shooting that claimed six lives – among them two officers from Queensland – has agreed to a less severe plea deal.
Arizona-based Donald Day Jr will appear in court on 21 October 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 guns and bullets in a arrangement to be approved by the court in the current month.
Connections to Aussie Gunmen
Authorities established direct links between the defendant and the Train couple through digital communications.
The Trains, along with Gareth’s brother Nathaniel, murdered Queensland police officers Arnold and McCrow, and neighbor Alan Dare at a remote property in Wieambilla, Queensland in 2022.
The Trains were killed in a final shootout with police, following a protracted siege at the regional property.
US prosecutors said Day communicated via social media with the Trains around the time of the fatal attack.
Day described Queensland police as “malignant, malformed and malevolent”, and said they should be shown “no mercy whatsoever”, telling the Trains he wanted to be at Wieambilla physically.
Legal filings outlined how Gareth and Stacey Train had posted an apocalyptic video on the video platform after the shootings, 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 will meet you at home, Don. With love,” the Trains expressed.
Firearms Cache and Court Case
Court documents reveal the defendant stockpiled a collection of nine high-powered firearms and numerous bullets of ammo at a rural property in Heber, Arizona, that was equipped with a gun range, weapons 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 submitted in court.
He stated he regularly accessed both the weapons storage and the firearms, and also trained individuals on how to operate the guns properly.
The bargain will result in dismissed counts that relate to the alleged making of threats to officials and FBI agents.
According to legal files, the individual had been banned from owning weapons and firearms because of his history of violent crimes.
Day, who has completed two years in custody, faces a highest sentence of up to 15 years in prison or a penalty of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the plea deal specifies he will be judged under the minimum range of the sentencing guidelines.