American Individual Connected to Aussie Shooters Strikes Plea Bargain with Prosecutors
A US man linked with the perpetrators behind the deadly Wieambilla, Australia attack that claimed the lives of six individuals – among them two Queensland police officers – has accepted a watered-down plea agreement.
Resident of Arizona Donald Day Jr will appear in court on October 21 after striking the bargain with American authorities.
The convicted felon, known online as “Geronimo's Bones”, is anticipated to admit guilt to a single charge of unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition in a deal to be sanctioned by the judiciary in the current month.
Connections to Aussie Gunmen
Authorities established clear connections between Day and Gareth and Stacey Train through online posts.
The Trains, along with Gareth’s brother Nathaniel, murdered officers from Queensland Arnold and McCrow, and neighbour Alan Dare at a isolated location in Wieambilla in 2022.
They were killed in a final shootout with police, following a protracted siege at the rural site.
US prosecutors said Day communicated via social media with the perpetrators around the time of the deadly ambush.
Day referred to Queensland police as “malignant, malformed and malevolent”, and said they should be shown “no mercy whatsoever”, telling them he wanted to be at Wieambilla physically.
Court documents outlined how Gareth and Stacey Train had uploaded an end-times video on the video platform after the shootings, saying police “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 Court Case
Legal records show Day stockpiled a collection of nine high-powered firearms and numerous bullets of ammo at a rural property in Heber, Arizona, that was outfitted with a shooting range, weapons room and sniper’s nest.
“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.
Day stated he frequently used both the weapons storage and the firearms, and also trained individuals on how to operate the firearms properly.
The plea deal will lead to dismissed counts that pertain to the accused making of threats to officials and FBI agents.
Based on court documents, the individual had been banned from owning guns and arms because of his history of violent crimes.
Day, who has served 24 months in detention, faces a highest sentence of up to 15 years in prison or a fine of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the agreement stipulates he will be sentenced under the low end of the legal sentencing standards.
