US Individual Linked to Aussie Gunmen Strikes Plea Deal with Prosecutors
An American citizen linked with the perpetrators behind the fatal Wieambilla, Australia shooting that took the lives of six individuals – including two officers from Queensland – has accepted a less severe plea agreement.
Arizona-based Donald Day Jr will appear in court on October 21 after finalizing the bargain with American authorities.
The convicted felon, known online as “Geronimo's Bones”, is expected to admit guilt to a sole charge of unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition in a arrangement to be approved by the judiciary in the current month.
Connections to Australian Shooters
Authorities confirmed direct links between the defendant and the Train couple through online posts.
This couple, along with Nathaniel Train, killed officers from Queensland Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbor Alan Dare at a remote property in Wieambilla in 2022.
They were fatally shot in a final shootout with police, following a extended standoff at the regional property.
US prosecutors said Day communicated via social media with the Trains during the period of the deadly ambush.
Day described Queensland officers as “malignant, malformed and malevolent”, and said they should be shown “no mercy whatsoever”, informing the Trains he wanted to be at Wieambilla in person.
Legal filings outlined how the couple had uploaded an apocalyptic recording on YouTube after the shootings, stating authorities “attempted to kill us, and we retaliated”.
“Failing to stand against these evil forces makes one a coward … we’ll see you at home, Don. Love you,” the Trains said.
Firearms Cache and Legal Proceedings
Legal records show Day accumulated a collection of nine high-powered firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammo at a rural property 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’,” Day admitted in the plea deal filed in the legal system.
He stated he frequently used both the gun room and the firearms, and also trained others on how to use the guns correctly.
The bargain will lead to dismissed counts that pertain to the accused making of threats to officials and federal agents.
Based on court documents, Day had been banned from possessing guns and arms because of his violent criminal history.
Day, who has completed 24 months in detention, could receive a highest sentence of up to 15 years in prison or a fine of $250,000 (A$381,500), but the agreement stipulates he will be sentenced under the low end of the sentencing guidelines.
