American Individual Connected to Australian Gunmen Strikes Plea Bargain with Prosecutors
An American citizen linked with the culprits behind the fatal Wieambilla, Australia shooting that claimed the lives of six individuals – among them two officers from Queensland – has accepted a less severe plea deal.
Arizona-based Donald Day Jr. will appear in court on October 21 after finalizing the bargain with US prosecutors.
The convicted felon, known online as “Geronimo's Bones”, is anticipated to plead guilty to a sole charge of unlawfully possessing guns and bullets in a arrangement to be approved by the judiciary this month.
Links to Aussie Gunmen
Authorities confirmed direct links between the defendant and the Train couple through online posts.
This couple, along with Nathaniel Train, murdered officers from Queensland Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbour Alan Dare at a remote property in Wieambilla, Queensland in 2022.
The Trains were fatally shot in a final shootout with law enforcement, following a protracted siege at the regional property.
American officials said the accused corresponded via online platforms with the Trains around the time of the deadly ambush.
He described Queensland police as “malignant, malformed and malevolent”, and declared they should be shown “no mercy whatsoever”, informing the Trains he desired to be at Wieambilla physically.
Court documents outlined how Gareth and Stacey Train had uploaded an apocalyptic video on the video platform after the incident, saying police “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,” the Trains expressed.
Weapons Stockpile and Court Case
Court documents show Day accumulated a collection of nine high-powered firearms and numerous bullets of ammo at a rural property in Heber, Arizona, that was outfitted with a gun 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',” he admitted in the plea deal submitted in the legal system.
He said he regularly accessed both the gun room and the firearms, and also instructed others on how to operate the guns correctly.
The bargain will result in dismissed counts that pertain to the alleged issuing threats to public figures and federal agents.
According to court documents, the individual had been banned from owning weapons and firearms because of his violent criminal history.
Day, who has served 24 months in custody, could receive a highest sentence of up to 15 years in prison or a fine of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the plea deal stipulates he will be sentenced under the minimum range of the legal sentencing standards.
