US Man Connected to Aussie Shooters Secures Plea Deal with Prosecutors
An American citizen linked with the perpetrators behind the deadly Wieambilla attack that took six lives – including two Queensland police officers – has accepted a watered-down plea deal.
Resident of Arizona Donald Day Jr. will appear in court on 21 October after finalizing the bargain with US prosecutors.
The individual with prior convictions, referred to online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is anticipated to admit guilt to a sole offense of unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition in a deal to be sanctioned by the judiciary in the current month.
Links to Aussie Gunmen
Investigators established direct links between the defendant and Gareth and Stacey Train through online posts.
The Trains, along with Gareth’s brother Nathaniel, killed officers from Queensland Matthew Arnold and Rachel 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 extended standoff at the rural site.
US prosecutors said Day corresponded via online platforms with the perpetrators during the period of the fatal attack.
Day described Queensland officers as “evil, corrupt, and wicked”, and declared they should be shown “no mercy whatsoever”, telling them he wanted to be at Wieambilla physically.
Court documents outlined how the couple had posted an apocalyptic video on the video platform after the incident, stating 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 expressed.
Weapons Stockpile and Court Case
Court documents show the defendant stockpiled a cache of multiple powerful guns and hundreds of rounds of ammo at a country estate 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 admitted in the plea deal filed in the legal system.
Day stated he frequently used both the gun room and the weapons, and also trained individuals on how to use the firearms correctly.
The bargain will lead to charges dropped that pertain to the accused making of threats to officials and federal agents.
Based on court documents, Day had been prohibited from owning guns and arms because of his history of violent crimes.
Day, who has completed two years in custody, could receive a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in jail or a penalty of $250,000 (A$381,500), but the plea deal stipulates he will be sentenced under the minimum range of the sentencing guidelines.
