US Individual Connected to Aussie Shooters Strikes Plea Bargain with Prosecutors
An American citizen linked with the culprits behind the fatal Wieambilla shooting that took six lives – including two Queensland police officers – has accepted a less severe 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, referred to online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is expected to admit guilt to a sole charge of illegally owning guns and bullets in a deal to be approved by the judiciary this month.
Connections to Australian Shooters
Authorities established direct links between Day and the Train couple through online posts.
The Trains, along with Nathaniel Train, murdered officers from Queensland Arnold and McCrow, and neighbour Alan Dare at a isolated location in Wieambilla in 2022.
The Trains were fatally shot in a final shootout with police, following a protracted siege at the rural site.
American officials stated Day communicated via online platforms with the Trains during the period of the fatal attack.
Day referred to Queensland police as “malignant, malformed and malevolent”, and said they should be shown “absolutely no quarter”, informing the Trains he desired to be at the scene physically.
Legal filings outlined how Gareth and Stacey Train had uploaded an apocalyptic video on YouTube after the shootings, saying authorities “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,” the Trains expressed.
Firearms Cache and Court Case
Court documents reveal the defendant stockpiled a cache of nine high-powered firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammo at a rural property in Heber, AZ, that was outfitted with a shooting 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 said in the plea deal filed in court.
He stated he frequently used both the weapons storage and the weapons, and also trained individuals on how to use the guns correctly.
The bargain will lead to charges dropped that relate to the accused making of threats to officials and federal agents.
Based on legal files, the individual had been prohibited from possessing weapons and firearms because of his history of violent crimes.
The defendant, who has completed two years in custody, could receive 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 stipulates he will be sentenced under the low end of the legal sentencing standards.
