American Man Connected to Australian Shooters Secures Plea Bargain with Federal Attorneys
A US man associated with the culprits behind the deadly Wieambilla attack that claimed the lives of six individuals – including two Queensland police officers – has accepted a watered-down plea deal.
Arizona-based Donald Day Jr will appear in court on 21 October after striking the bargain with US prosecutors.
The convicted felon, known online as “Geronimo's Bones”, is expected to plead guilty to a single charge of illegally owning firearms and ammunition in a arrangement to be sanctioned by the judiciary in the current month.
Links to Aussie Gunmen
Authorities established direct links between the defendant and Gareth and Stacey Train through digital communications.
This couple, along with Nathaniel Train, killed Queensland police officers Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbor Alan Dare at a remote property in Wieambilla, Queensland in 2022.
They were killed in a final shootout with police, following a extended standoff at the regional property.
American officials stated the accused corresponded via online platforms with the perpetrators during the period of the fatal attack.
Day referred to Queensland officers as “malignant, malformed and malevolent”, and declared they should be shown “absolutely no quarter”, telling them he desired to be at the scene in person.
Court documents outlined how the couple had posted an apocalyptic recording on the video platform after the shootings, saying authorities “came to kill us and we killed them”.
“Failing to stand against these evil forces makes one a coward … We will meet you at home, Don. With love,” they expressed.
Firearms Cache and Court Case
Court documents reveal the defendant stockpiled a cache of multiple powerful guns and numerous bullets of ammo at a rural property in Heber, Arizona, that was equipped with a gun 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 agreement filed in the legal system.
Day said he frequently used both the weapons storage and the weapons, and also trained individuals on how to use the firearms correctly.
The plea deal will result in charges dropped that relate to the alleged issuing threats to public figures and federal agents.
Based on court documents, Day had been banned from possessing weapons and firearms because of his violent criminal history.
The defendant, who has served 24 months in detention, could receive a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in prison or a penalty of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the plea deal stipulates he will be judged under the minimum range of the sentencing guidelines.
