American Man Connected to Australian Shooters Strikes Plea Deal with Prosecutors
An American citizen associated with the culprits behind the deadly Wieambilla, Australia shooting that took six lives – including two officers from Queensland – has agreed to a watered-down plea deal.
Resident of Arizona Donald Day Jr will appear in court on 21 October after striking the plea deal with American authorities.
The individual with prior convictions, referred to online as “Geronimo's Bones”, is expected to admit guilt to a single charge of unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition in a deal to be sanctioned by the judiciary this month.
Links to Australian Shooters
Investigators confirmed direct links between the defendant and the Train couple through online posts.
This couple, along with Nathaniel Train, murdered officers from Queensland Arnold and McCrow, and neighbor Alan Dare at a isolated location in Wieambilla, Queensland in 2022.
They were killed in a final shootout with law enforcement, following a extended standoff at the regional property.
US prosecutors said the accused communicated via social media with the Trains during the period of the deadly ambush.
He referred to Queensland officers as “evil, corrupt, and wicked”, and said they should be shown “no mercy whatsoever”, telling the Trains he wanted to be at the scene in person.
Court documents outlined how Gareth and Stacey Train had uploaded an end-times recording on YouTube after the incident, 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 will meet you at home, Don. With love,” they said.
Firearms Cache and Court Case
Court documents show the defendant stockpiled a cache of multiple powerful guns and numerous bullets of ammo at a rural property in Heber, AZ, that was outfitted with a shooting range, weapons room and sniper’s nest.
“The firearms and ammunition were kept in the mobile home I shared with S.S., in a room we called the ‘gun room’,” Day admitted in the agreement submitted in court.
Day said he frequently used both the gun room and the weapons, and also instructed individuals on how to use the firearms properly.
The bargain will result in dismissed counts that pertain to the accused issuing threats to officials and federal agents.
Based on legal files, Day had been banned from owning weapons and firearms because of his violent criminal history.
The defendant, who has served two years in detention, faces a highest sentence of up to 15 years imprisonment in jail or a penalty of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the agreement specifies he will be sentenced under the low end of the legal sentencing standards.
