US Man Connected to Aussie Gunmen Secures Plea Bargain with Federal Attorneys
An American citizen associated with the culprits behind the deadly Wieambilla, Australia shooting that took the lives of six individuals – including two officers from Queensland – has accepted a watered-down plea agreement.
Resident of Arizona Donald Day Jr will face court on 21 October after finalizing the bargain with American authorities.
The individual with prior convictions, referred to online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is expected to plead guilty to a sole charge of illegally owning firearms and ammunition in a arrangement to be approved by the court in the current month.
Connections 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, killed officers from Queensland Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbor Alan Dare at a remote property in Wieambilla in 2022.
The Trains were killed in a final shootout with police, following a extended standoff at the regional property.
US prosecutors said the accused communicated via online platforms with the Trains around the time of the deadly ambush.
He described Queensland officers as “evil, corrupt, and wicked”, and said they should be shown “absolutely no quarter”, telling the Trains he wanted to be at Wieambilla in person.
Court documents outlined how the couple had posted an end-times video on the video platform after the incident, saying authorities “attempted to kill us, and we retaliated”.
“Failing to stand against these evil forces makes one a coward … we’ll see you at home, Don. Love you,” the Trains expressed.
Weapons Stockpile and Legal Proceedings
Legal records show the defendant stockpiled a collection of nine high-powered firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition at a country estate in Heber, Arizona, that was outfitted with a gun range, weapons 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 admitted in the agreement filed in the legal system.
Day said he regularly accessed both the weapons storage and the firearms, and also instructed others on how to use the firearms properly.
The bargain will lead to charges dropped that relate to the alleged making of threats to officials and federal agents.
According to legal files, the individual had been prohibited from possessing weapons and firearms because of his history of violent crimes.
The defendant, who has completed two years in custody, could receive a maximum penalty of up to 15 years imprisonment in prison or a fine of $250,000 (A$381,500), but the plea deal stipulates he will be sentenced under the low end of the legal sentencing standards.
