US Individual Connected to Aussie Gunmen Strikes Plea Bargain with Prosecutors
A US man associated with the culprits behind the deadly Wieambilla, Australia attack that took the lives of six individuals – among them two Queensland police officers – has agreed to a watered-down plea deal.
Arizona-based Donald Day Jr. will face court on 21 October after finalizing the plea deal with US prosecutors.
The convicted felon, referred to online as “Geronimo's Bones”, is anticipated to plead guilty to a sole charge of illegally owning guns and bullets in a deal to be approved by the judiciary this month.
Links to Australian Shooters
Authorities confirmed direct links 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 remote property in Wieambilla in 2022.
They were killed in a final shootout with police, following a extended standoff at the rural site.
US prosecutors said Day communicated via social media with the perpetrators during the period of the fatal attack.
Day described Queensland police as “malignant, malformed and malevolent”, and said 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 incident, stating authorities “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,” the Trains expressed.
Firearms Cache and Court Case
Legal records show Day stockpiled a collection of nine high-powered firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammo at a rural property in Heber, AZ, that was equipped with a shooting range, gun 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 said in the plea deal submitted in the legal system.
Day stated he frequently used both the gun room and the weapons, and also instructed others on how to operate the guns properly.
The plea deal will result in charges dropped that relate to the accused issuing threats to public figures and FBI agents.
Based on court documents, the individual had been banned from owning guns and arms because of his violent criminal history.
Day, who has served 24 months in detention, could receive a highest sentence of up to 15 years in jail or a penalty of $250,000 (A$381,500), but the plea deal stipulates he will be judged under the low end of the legal sentencing standards.