American Man Linked to Aussie Shooters Secures Plea Deal with Prosecutors
An American citizen linked with the culprits behind the deadly Wieambilla, Australia shooting that took six lives – including two Queensland police officers – has accepted a watered-down plea deal.
Arizona-based Donald Day Jr. will appear in court on 21 October after striking the bargain with American authorities.
The convicted felon, referred to online as “Geronimo's Bones”, is expected to admit guilt to a sole offense of unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition in a deal to be approved by the judiciary this month.
Connections to Australian Shooters
Investigators established clear connections between Day and the Train couple through digital communications.
The Trains, along with Nathaniel Train, killed officers from Queensland Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbour Alan Dare at a isolated location in Wieambilla, Queensland in 2022.
The Trains were killed in a final shootout with law enforcement, following a protracted siege at the rural site.
US prosecutors stated Day communicated via online platforms with the perpetrators around the time of the deadly ambush.
Day referred to Queensland police as “evil, corrupt, and wicked”, and declared they should be shown “absolutely no quarter”, informing the Trains he wanted to be at the scene in person.
Court documents outlined how Gareth and Stacey Train had posted an end-times video on the video platform after the incident, stating authorities “attempted to kill us, and we retaliated”.
“If you don’t defend yourself against these devils and demons, you’re a coward … we’ll see you at home, Don. Love you,” the Trains said.
Weapons Stockpile and Legal Proceedings
Court documents reveal the defendant stockpiled a collection of nine high-powered firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammo at a rural property in Heber, Arizona, that was equipped with a gun 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',” Day admitted in the agreement filed in court.
Day said he regularly accessed both the gun room and the firearms, and also trained others on how to operate the guns properly.
The bargain will result in charges dropped that relate to the accused making of threats to officials and federal agents.
Based on court documents, the individual had been banned from owning weapons and firearms because of his history of violent crimes.
The defendant, who has served 24 months in custody, faces a highest sentence of up to 15 years imprisonment in jail or a fine of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the plea deal specifies he will be sentenced under the minimum range of the sentencing guidelines.
