American Individual Connected to Aussie Gunmen Strikes Plea Bargain with Prosecutors
A US man linked with the perpetrators behind the deadly Wieambilla, Australia shooting that claimed six lives – among them two Queensland police officers – has accepted a watered-down plea deal.
Resident of Arizona Donald Day Jr. will face court on October 21 after finalizing the bargain with US prosecutors.
The individual with prior convictions, referred to online as “Geronimo's Bones”, is anticipated to admit guilt to a single offense of unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition in a arrangement to be sanctioned by the court this month.
Connections to Aussie Gunmen
Investigators confirmed clear connections between the defendant and Gareth and Stacey Train through online posts.
This couple, along with Gareth’s brother Nathaniel, killed officers from Queensland Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbor Alan Dare at a isolated location in Wieambilla, Queensland in 2022.
They were fatally shot in a gun battle with police, following a extended standoff at the regional property.
American officials said the accused corresponded via social media with the perpetrators during the period of the deadly ambush.
Day described Queensland officers as “evil, corrupt, and wicked”, and declared they should be shown “no mercy whatsoever”, telling them he desired to be at Wieambilla physically.
Court documents outlined how Gareth and Stacey Train had uploaded an end-times video on YouTube after the shootings, stating police “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,” the Trains said.
Weapons Stockpile and Court Case
Court documents reveal the defendant accumulated a cache of nine high-powered firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition at a country estate in Heber, Arizona, that was equipped with a gun range, weapons room and sniper hide.
“The guns and ammo were stored in the trailer I occupied with S.S., within a space we named the 'gun room',” he admitted in the plea deal filed in court.
Day stated he frequently used 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 alleged issuing threats to public figures and federal agents.
According to court documents, the individual had been banned from possessing guns and arms because of his violent criminal history.
Day, who has completed 24 months in detention, faces a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in jail or a fine of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the agreement stipulates he will be sentenced under the low end of the legal sentencing standards.
