American Man Linked to Australian Gunmen Strikes Plea Deal with Federal Attorneys
An American citizen associated with the culprits behind the fatal Wieambilla, Australia attack that took the lives of six individuals – among them two Queensland police officers – has accepted a less severe plea deal.
Resident of Arizona Donald Day Jr will face court on October 21 after striking the plea deal with US prosecutors.
The individual with prior convictions, referred to online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is expected to admit guilt to a sole offense of unlawfully possessing guns and bullets in a deal to be approved by the court this month.
Links to Aussie Gunmen
Authorities confirmed direct links between the defendant and Gareth and Stacey Train through online posts.
The Trains, along with Nathaniel Train, killed officers from Queensland Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbour Alan Dare at a remote property in Wieambilla in 2022.
The Trains were killed in a final shootout with law enforcement, following a extended standoff at the regional property.
US prosecutors said Day communicated via online platforms with the Trains around the time of the fatal attack.
Day described Queensland officers as “evil, corrupt, and wicked”, and said they should be shown “absolutely no quarter”, informing them he wanted to be at the scene physically.
Legal filings outlined how Gareth and Stacey Train had posted an apocalyptic video on YouTube after the incident, saying police “came to kill us and we killed them”.
“If you don’t defend yourself against these devils and demons, you’re a coward … We will meet you at home, Don. With love,” they said.
Firearms Cache and Court Case
Court documents show the defendant stockpiled a collection of multiple powerful guns and hundreds of rounds of ammo 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',” Day said in the plea deal filed in court.
Day stated he regularly accessed both the gun room and the firearms, and also instructed individuals on how to use the firearms correctly.
The plea deal will result in dismissed counts that pertain to the accused making of threats to public figures and FBI agents.
According to legal files, Day had been banned from possessing guns and arms because of his violent criminal history.
Day, who has completed two years in custody, could receive a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in jail or a fine of $250,000 (A$381,500), but the agreement specifies he will be sentenced under the minimum range of the legal sentencing standards.
