US Individual Connected to Australian Shooters Secures Plea Bargain with Federal Attorneys
A US man linked with the perpetrators behind the deadly Wieambilla shooting that claimed six lives – among them two Queensland police officers – has accepted a watered-down plea agreement.
Resident of Arizona Donald Day Jr will face court on October 21 after finalizing the bargain with US prosecutors.
The individual with prior convictions, known online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is expected to admit guilt to a single offense of unlawfully possessing guns and bullets in a arrangement to be sanctioned by the court this month.
Connections to Australian Shooters
Investigators established clear connections between the defendant and Gareth and Stacey Train through digital communications.
This couple, along with Nathaniel Train, killed officers from Queensland Arnold and McCrow, and neighbor Alan Dare at a isolated location in Wieambilla, Queensland in 2022.
The Trains were killed in a final shootout with law enforcement, following a extended standoff at the rural site.
US prosecutors stated the accused corresponded via online platforms with the Trains around the time of the deadly ambush.
He described Queensland police as “evil, corrupt, and wicked”, and declared they should be shown “absolutely no quarter”, informing them he wanted to be at the scene physically.
Court documents detailed how the couple had uploaded an apocalyptic video on YouTube 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,” the Trains expressed.
Firearms Cache and Legal Proceedings
Court documents show Day accumulated a cache of nine high-powered firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammo at a country estate in Heber, Arizona, that was outfitted with a shooting 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 filed in the legal system.
Day said he frequently used both the weapons storage and the firearms, and also trained others on how to operate the guns properly.
The plea deal will result in dismissed counts that pertain to the accused issuing threats to public figures and FBI agents.
Based on legal files, the individual had been prohibited from owning weapons and firearms because of his history of violent crimes.
Day, who has completed 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 judged under the minimum range of the sentencing guidelines.
