American Man Connected to Australian Gunmen Secures Plea Bargain with Federal Attorneys
A US man associated with the perpetrators behind the fatal Wieambilla attack that took the lives of six individuals – including two officers from Queensland – has agreed to a less severe plea agreement.
Resident of Arizona Donald Day Jr will appear in court on October 21 after striking the bargain with American authorities.
The individual with prior convictions, referred to online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is expected to plead guilty to a sole offense of illegally owning firearms and ammunition in a arrangement to be approved by the court this month.
Connections to Aussie Gunmen
Authorities confirmed direct links between Day and Gareth and Stacey Train through online posts.
This couple, along with Nathaniel Train, murdered officers from Queensland Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbour Alan Dare at a remote property in Wieambilla in 2022.
They were fatally shot in a gun battle with law enforcement, following a extended standoff at the rural site.
US prosecutors stated Day corresponded via online platforms with the Trains around the time of the deadly ambush.
He described Queensland officers as “evil, corrupt, and wicked”, and said they should be shown “no mercy whatsoever”, telling them he wanted to be at the scene in person.
Court documents outlined how Gareth and Stacey Train had uploaded an apocalyptic recording 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,” they said.
Weapons Stockpile and Court Case
Legal records show Day stockpiled a collection of multiple powerful guns and hundreds of rounds of ammo at a country estate in Heber, Arizona, that was equipped with a shooting range, gun room and sniper’s nest.
“The firearms and ammunition were kept in the mobile home I shared with S.S., in a room we called the ‘gun room’,” he said in the plea deal submitted in court.
Day stated he frequently used both the weapons storage and the firearms, and also trained others on how to operate the firearms correctly.
The plea deal will lead to charges dropped that pertain to the accused issuing threats to officials 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 imprisonment in prison or a fine of $250,000 (A$381,500), but the plea deal specifies he will be sentenced under the low end of the legal sentencing standards.
