American Individual Linked to Australian Gunmen Secures Plea Bargain with Federal Attorneys
An American citizen linked with the culprits behind the fatal Wieambilla, Australia attack that took six lives – among them two Queensland police officers – has agreed to a less severe plea agreement.
Resident of Arizona Donald Day Jr. will appear in court on 21 October after finalizing the bargain with US prosecutors.
The individual with prior convictions, known online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is anticipated to admit guilt to a sole offense of unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition in a arrangement to be approved by the judiciary in the current month.
Links to Australian Shooters
Investigators established clear connections between Day 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 remote property in Wieambilla in 2022.
The Trains were fatally shot in a gun battle with police, following a protracted siege at the rural site.
American officials said the accused communicated via online platforms with the Trains during the period of the deadly ambush.
He described Queensland officers as “evil, corrupt, and wicked”, and declared they should be shown “no mercy whatsoever”, telling them he desired to be at the scene physically.
Legal filings detailed how the couple had posted an apocalyptic recording on YouTube after the incident, stating authorities “came to kill us and we killed them”.
“Failing to stand against these evil forces makes one a coward … we’ll see you at home, Don. Love you,” the Trains said.
Weapons Stockpile and Court Case
Legal records reveal Day stockpiled a collection of multiple powerful guns and numerous bullets of ammunition at a rural property in Heber, Arizona, that was equipped with a gun range, weapons 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 said in the plea deal filed in the legal system.
Day said he regularly accessed both the weapons storage and the weapons, and also trained individuals on how to operate the guns properly.
The bargain will lead to dismissed counts that relate to the accused making of threats to public figures and FBI agents.
Based on legal files, Day had been prohibited from possessing guns and arms because of his violent criminal history.
Day, who has served 24 months in detention, faces a highest sentence of up to 15 years in jail or a penalty of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the plea deal stipulates he will be judged under the minimum range of the legal sentencing standards.
