US Man Connected to Australian Shooters Secures Plea Bargain with Prosecutors
A US man linked with the perpetrators behind the deadly Wieambilla, Australia shooting that claimed the lives of six individuals – including two Queensland police officers – has agreed to a less severe plea agreement.
Arizona-based Donald Day Jr. will face court on October 21 after finalizing the bargain with US prosecutors.
The convicted felon, referred to online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is anticipated to plead guilty to a single charge of unlawfully possessing guns and bullets in a arrangement to be sanctioned by the court in the current month.
Connections to Australian Shooters
Authorities confirmed clear connections between Day and the Train couple through digital communications.
This couple, along with Gareth’s brother Nathaniel, 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 final shootout with law enforcement, following a extended standoff at the regional property.
American officials 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 said they should be shown “absolutely no quarter”, informing them he desired to be at Wieambilla in person.
Legal filings outlined how Gareth and Stacey Train had posted an apocalyptic recording on YouTube after the incident, saying police “attempted to kill us, and we retaliated”.
“Failing to stand against these evil forces makes one a coward … We will meet you at home, Don. With love,” they said.
Firearms Cache and Court Case
Legal records show Day accumulated a collection of multiple powerful guns and numerous bullets of ammunition at a country estate in Heber, AZ, that was equipped with a gun 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’,” Day said in the agreement submitted in court.
He said he regularly accessed both the gun room and the firearms, and also instructed others on how to use the guns correctly.
The plea deal will lead to charges dropped that relate to the accused issuing threats to officials and FBI agents.
According to court documents, the individual had been banned from owning guns and arms because of his history of violent crimes.
The defendant, who has served 24 months in detention, could receive a maximum penalty of up to 15 years imprisonment in prison or a fine of $250,000 (A$381,500), but the agreement stipulates he will be judged under the low end of the legal sentencing standards.
