American Man Linked to Aussie Shooters Strikes Plea Bargain with Federal Attorneys
A US man linked with the perpetrators behind the deadly Wieambilla, Australia attack that took the lives of six individuals – among them two officers from Queensland – has accepted a watered-down plea deal.
Resident of Arizona Donald Day Jr. will appear in court on October 21 after finalizing the bargain with US prosecutors.
The individual with prior convictions, known online as “Geronimo's Bones”, is expected to plead guilty to a sole charge of unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition in a arrangement to be approved by the court this month.
Links to Australian Shooters
Investigators established clear connections between the defendant and Gareth and Stacey Train through digital communications.
The Trains, along with Gareth’s brother Nathaniel, murdered Queensland police officers 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 law enforcement, following a extended standoff at the rural site.
American officials said the accused communicated via online platforms with the perpetrators 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 wanted to be at the scene in person.
Court documents detailed how Gareth and Stacey Train had uploaded an apocalyptic video on YouTube after the incident, saying police “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 said.
Weapons Stockpile and Legal Proceedings
Court documents show the defendant accumulated a collection of multiple powerful guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition at a country estate in Heber, AZ, that was equipped with a gun range, gun 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’,” he admitted in the agreement filed in the legal system.
He stated he frequently used both the weapons storage and the firearms, and also instructed others on how to use the firearms correctly.
The plea deal will result in dismissed counts that relate to the alleged issuing threats to public figures and federal agents.
According to court documents, Day had been banned from possessing guns and arms because of his violent criminal history.
Day, who has completed 24 months in custody, could receive a maximum penalty of up to 15 years imprisonment in jail or a fine of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the agreement specifies he will be judged under the minimum range of the sentencing guidelines.
