US Man Linked to Aussie Shooters Secures Plea Deal with Prosecutors
An American citizen linked with the culprits behind the deadly Wieambilla, Australia shooting that claimed six lives – among them two officers from Queensland – has accepted a watered-down plea agreement.
Arizona-based Donald Day Jr will face court on October 21 after finalizing the plea deal with American authorities.
The convicted felon, known online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is anticipated to plead guilty to a sole charge of unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition in a deal to be sanctioned by the court in the current month.
Links to Australian Shooters
Investigators confirmed clear connections between the defendant and Gareth and Stacey Train through online posts.
The Trains, along with Nathaniel Train, murdered Queensland police officers Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbor Alan Dare at a remote property in Wieambilla, Queensland in 2022.
They were killed in a final shootout with police, following a extended standoff at the rural site.
US prosecutors said the accused communicated via social media with the perpetrators during the period of the fatal attack.
He described Queensland police as “malignant, malformed and malevolent”, and declared they should be shown “no mercy whatsoever”, informing the Trains he wanted to be at the scene in person.
Court documents outlined how Gareth and Stacey Train had posted an apocalyptic video on YouTube after the incident, stating police “came to kill us and we killed them”.
“Failing to stand against these evil forces makes one a coward … we’ll see you at home, Don. Love you,” the Trains said.
Weapons Stockpile and Court Case
Legal records show the defendant stockpiled a collection of nine high-powered firearms and numerous bullets of ammunition at a rural property in Heber, AZ, that was equipped with a shooting range, weapons room and sniper hide.
“The guns and ammo were stored in the trailer I occupied with S.S., within a space we named the 'gun room',” he said in the plea deal submitted in the legal system.
Day stated he frequently used both the weapons storage and the weapons, and also trained others on how to use the guns properly.
The plea deal will result in dismissed counts that relate to the accused making of threats to public figures and FBI agents.
According to court documents, Day had been banned from possessing weapons and firearms because of his history of violent crimes.
Day, who has completed two years in detention, 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 judged under the low end of the sentencing guidelines.
