US Man Linked to Australian Gunmen Strikes Plea Deal with Prosecutors
A US man linked with the culprits behind the deadly Wieambilla, Australia shooting that took six lives – including two officers from Queensland – has agreed to a less severe plea agreement.
Arizona-based Donald Day Jr will face court on October 21 after finalizing the bargain with American authorities.
The individual with prior convictions, referred to online as “Geronimo's Bones”, is anticipated to admit guilt to a single charge of unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition in a deal to be approved by the judiciary in the current month.
Connections to Australian Shooters
Investigators confirmed clear connections between the defendant and Gareth and Stacey Train through online posts.
This couple, along with Nathaniel Train, murdered Queensland police officers Arnold and McCrow, and neighbour Alan Dare at a remote property in Wieambilla in 2022.
They were killed in a gun battle with police, following a protracted siege at the regional property.
American officials said the accused communicated via social media with the perpetrators around the time of the fatal attack.
Day referred to Queensland police as “malignant, malformed and malevolent”, and declared they should be shown “no mercy whatsoever”, telling the Trains he desired to be at Wieambilla in person.
Court documents outlined how the couple had posted an end-times video on the video platform after the shootings, stating authorities “attempted to kill us, and we retaliated”.
“Failing to stand against these evil forces makes one a coward … we’ll see you at home, Don. Love you,” the Trains expressed.
Firearms Cache and Court Case
Court documents reveal Day stockpiled a cache of multiple powerful guns and numerous bullets of ammunition at a country estate 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',” Day admitted in the plea deal submitted in court.
He said he regularly accessed both the weapons storage and the weapons, and also trained individuals on how to operate the guns correctly.
The bargain will lead to charges dropped that relate to the alleged issuing threats to officials and federal agents.
According to court documents, Day had been banned from owning weapons and firearms because of his history of violent crimes.
The defendant, who has completed two years in detention, faces a highest sentence of up to 15 years imprisonment in jail or a fine of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the plea deal specifies he will be sentenced under the minimum range of the legal sentencing standards.
