US Individual Linked to Aussie Shooters Secures Plea Deal with Prosecutors
A US man linked with the perpetrators behind the deadly Wieambilla, Australia attack that claimed the lives of six individuals – including two officers from Queensland – has accepted a watered-down plea deal.
Arizona-based Donald Day Jr. will face court on October 21 after finalizing the plea deal with American authorities.
The convicted felon, referred to online as “Geronimo's Bones”, is anticipated to admit guilt to a single charge of unlawfully possessing guns and bullets in a arrangement to be approved by the court this month.
Links to Aussie Gunmen
Investigators established direct links between the defendant and the Train couple 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 gun battle with law enforcement, following a extended standoff at the rural site.
US prosecutors said Day corresponded via online platforms with the Trains around the time of the fatal attack.
He described Queensland officers as “malignant, malformed and malevolent”, and said they should be shown “absolutely no quarter”, informing the Trains he desired to be at the scene in person.
Court documents detailed how Gareth and Stacey Train had uploaded an apocalyptic recording on YouTube after the shootings, stating authorities “came to kill us and we killed them”.
“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 the defendant accumulated a cache of nine high-powered firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammo at a rural property in Heber, AZ, that was outfitted 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 admitted in the plea deal submitted in the legal system.
Day said he regularly accessed both the weapons storage and the weapons, and also instructed individuals on how to use the guns correctly.
The plea deal will lead to dismissed counts that pertain to the accused making of threats to public figures and federal agents.
Based on court documents, the individual had been prohibited from possessing guns and arms because of his violent criminal history.
The defendant, who has served 24 months in custody, could receive a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in prison or a penalty of $250,000 (A$381,500), but the agreement stipulates he will be sentenced under the low end of the sentencing guidelines.
