American Man Connected to Aussie Gunmen Secures Plea Bargain with Federal Attorneys
An American citizen associated with the perpetrators behind the fatal Wieambilla, Australia attack that claimed the lives of six individuals – including two officers from Queensland – 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 American authorities.
The convicted felon, referred to online as “Geronimo's Bones”, is anticipated to admit guilt to a single offense of illegally owning guns and bullets in a deal to be sanctioned by the judiciary this month.
Connections to Australian Shooters
Investigators confirmed direct links between the defendant and the Train couple through online posts.
This couple, along with Gareth’s brother Nathaniel, murdered officers from Queensland Arnold and McCrow, and neighbor Alan Dare at a remote property in Wieambilla, Queensland in 2022.
They were killed in a gun battle 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 deadly ambush.
Day described Queensland officers as “evil, corrupt, and wicked”, and said they should be shown “no mercy whatsoever”, informing the Trains he wanted to be at Wieambilla physically.
Court documents detailed how Gareth and Stacey Train had posted an end-times video on the video platform after the shootings, saying authorities “attempted to kill us, and we retaliated”.
“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
Legal records show the defendant accumulated a cache of multiple powerful guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition at a country estate in Heber, AZ, that was equipped with a shooting 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’,” Day said in the agreement filed in the legal system.
He said he regularly accessed both the weapons storage and the firearms, and also instructed individuals on how to operate the firearms correctly.
The bargain will result in charges dropped that relate to the alleged issuing threats to officials and FBI agents.
Based on court documents, Day had been banned from possessing weapons and firearms because of his history of violent crimes.
The defendant, who has completed 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 specifies he will be sentenced under the low end of the sentencing guidelines.
