American Individual Connected to Aussie Shooters Secures Plea Bargain with Federal Attorneys
A US man associated with the perpetrators behind the fatal Wieambilla, Australia attack that took six lives – among them two officers from Queensland – has agreed to a watered-down plea agreement.
Resident of Arizona Donald Day Jr. will face court on 21 October after striking the bargain with American authorities.
The convicted felon, known online as “Geronimo's Bones”, is expected to plead guilty to a sole offense of unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition in a deal to be approved by the judiciary this month.
Connections to Aussie Gunmen
Authorities confirmed clear connections between the defendant and Gareth and Stacey Train through online posts.
The Trains, along with Nathaniel Train, murdered officers from Queensland Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbour Alan Dare at a isolated location in Wieambilla in 2022.
The Trains were killed in a gun battle with police, following a extended standoff at the rural site.
American officials stated Day communicated via social media with the Trains during the period of the deadly ambush.
He described Queensland officers as “malignant, malformed and malevolent”, and declared they should be shown “no mercy whatsoever”, telling the Trains he desired to be at the scene in person.
Legal filings outlined how the couple had uploaded an end-times recording on the video platform 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
Legal records reveal the defendant accumulated a collection of multiple powerful guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition at a rural property in Heber, Arizona, that was equipped with a shooting range, gun 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’,” he said in the agreement filed in court.
Day said he regularly accessed both the gun room and the weapons, and also trained individuals on how to use the guns properly.
The plea deal will lead to dismissed counts that pertain to the alleged issuing threats to public figures and FBI agents.
According to court documents, the individual had been prohibited from owning weapons and firearms because of his violent criminal history.
The defendant, who has completed 24 months in custody, could receive a maximum penalty of up to 15 years imprisonment in jail or a fine of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the agreement stipulates he will be judged under the low end of the sentencing guidelines.
