American Individual Connected to Aussie Gunmen Strikes Plea Deal with Federal Attorneys
An American citizen linked with the culprits behind the fatal Wieambilla attack that took the lives of six individuals – among them two officers from Queensland – has accepted a watered-down plea deal.
Arizona-based Donald Day Jr. will appear in court on October 21 after striking the bargain with US prosecutors.
The convicted felon, known online as “Geronimo's Bones”, is anticipated to plead guilty to a single charge of illegally owning firearms and ammunition in a deal to be sanctioned by the judiciary in the current month.
Links to Australian Shooters
Investigators confirmed direct links 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 final shootout with law enforcement, following a extended standoff at the rural site.
US prosecutors stated Day corresponded via online platforms with the Trains during the period of the fatal attack.
He referred to Queensland police as “malignant, malformed and malevolent”, and declared they should be shown “no mercy whatsoever”, informing them he desired to be at the scene in person.
Court documents outlined how the couple had uploaded an apocalyptic recording on YouTube after the shootings, saying police “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 expressed.
Firearms Cache and Court Case
Legal records show Day stockpiled a collection of multiple powerful guns and numerous bullets of ammunition 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’,” he said in the plea deal filed in court.
He stated he frequently used both the gun room and the weapons, and also trained individuals on how to use the guns properly.
The plea deal will result in dismissed counts that relate 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 history of violent crimes.
Day, who has completed 24 months in custody, could receive a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in jail or a fine of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the plea deal specifies he will be judged under the minimum range of the sentencing guidelines.
