US Individual Connected to Australian Gunmen Strikes Plea Deal with Prosecutors
An American citizen linked with the culprits behind the deadly Wieambilla shooting that took six lives – among them two Queensland police officers – has agreed to a watered-down plea agreement.
Arizona-based Donald Day Jr. will face court on 21 October after finalizing the plea deal with American authorities.
The individual with prior convictions, known online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is anticipated to admit guilt to a single charge of illegally owning guns and bullets in a deal to be approved by the judiciary this month.
Links to Aussie Gunmen
Investigators confirmed direct links between the defendant and Gareth and Stacey Train through digital communications.
The Trains, along with Nathaniel Train, murdered officers from Queensland Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbour Alan Dare at a remote property in Wieambilla in 2022.
The Trains were fatally shot in a final shootout with law enforcement, following a protracted siege at the rural site.
US prosecutors stated the accused communicated via social media with the perpetrators around the time 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 wanted to be at the scene in person.
Court documents detailed how the couple had uploaded an apocalyptic recording on YouTube after the shootings, saying authorities “came to kill us and we killed them”.
“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 Court Case
Legal records show the defendant accumulated a collection of multiple powerful guns and hundreds of rounds of ammo at a country estate in Heber, AZ, that was equipped with a gun range, gun 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 admitted in the plea deal submitted in court.
Day stated he frequently used both the weapons storage and the firearms, and also trained individuals on how to operate the guns properly.
The plea deal will lead to dismissed counts that relate to the accused issuing threats to officials and federal agents.
Based on legal files, the individual had been banned from possessing guns and arms because of his history of violent crimes.
The defendant, who has completed two years in detention, faces a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in prison or a penalty of $250,000 (A$381,500), but the agreement stipulates he will be judged under the minimum range of the sentencing guidelines.
