American Man Connected to Aussie Gunmen Secures Plea Bargain with Prosecutors
A US man linked with the perpetrators behind the fatal Wieambilla attack that took the lives of six individuals – including two officers from Queensland – has accepted a watered-down plea agreement.
Resident of Arizona Donald Day Jr will face court on October 21 after finalizing the plea deal with US prosecutors.
The individual with prior convictions, referred to online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is expected to admit guilt to a single offense of illegally owning 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 Queensland police officers Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbor Alan Dare at a remote property in Wieambilla in 2022.
They were fatally shot in a gun battle with law enforcement, following a protracted siege at the regional property.
American officials stated Day communicated via online platforms with the Trains during the period of the deadly ambush.
He described Queensland officers 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.
Legal filings outlined how Gareth and Stacey Train had uploaded an apocalyptic video on the video platform after the incident, 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,” they said.
Firearms Cache and Legal Proceedings
Legal records show Day stockpiled a collection of multiple powerful guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition at a country estate in Heber, Arizona, that was equipped with a shooting 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',” Day said in the plea deal filed in court.
Day stated he regularly accessed both the weapons storage and the firearms, and also trained others on how to operate the firearms properly.
The plea deal will lead to dismissed counts that relate to the alleged issuing threats to public figures and federal agents.
Based on court documents, Day had been banned from possessing guns and arms because of his violent criminal history.
The defendant, who has served 24 months 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 agreement specifies he will be judged under the minimum range of the sentencing guidelines.
