American Man Connected to Aussie Shooters Strikes Plea Deal with Prosecutors
An American citizen associated with the perpetrators behind the deadly Wieambilla, Australia attack that claimed six lives – among them two Queensland police officers – has accepted a less severe plea agreement.
Resident of Arizona Donald Day Jr will face court on October 21 after striking 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 sole offense of unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition in a arrangement to be sanctioned by the judiciary this month.
Connections to Australian Shooters
Authorities established clear connections between Day and the Train couple through digital communications.
The Trains, along with Gareth’s brother Nathaniel, killed officers from Queensland Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbour Alan Dare at a isolated location in Wieambilla in 2022.
The Trains were fatally shot in a gun battle with police, following a extended standoff at the rural site.
American officials said Day corresponded via social media with the perpetrators during the period of the deadly ambush.
Day described Queensland police as “evil, corrupt, and wicked”, and said they should be shown “absolutely no quarter”, telling the Trains he desired to be at Wieambilla in person.
Legal filings detailed how Gareth and Stacey Train had uploaded an apocalyptic recording on the video platform after the incident, stating authorities “came to kill us and we killed them”.
“Failing to stand against these evil forces makes one a coward … we’ll see you at home, Don. Love you,” they said.
Firearms Cache and Court Case
Legal records reveal Day stockpiled a cache of nine high-powered firearms and numerous bullets of ammo at a country estate in Heber, Arizona, that was equipped with a shooting range, weapons 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 the legal system.
Day said he frequently used both the weapons storage and the firearms, and also trained others on how to operate the firearms properly.
The bargain will lead to charges dropped that relate to the alleged making of threats to public figures and FBI agents.
According to court documents, the individual had been prohibited from owning weapons and firearms because of his history of violent crimes.
Day, who has served two years in custody, could receive a highest sentence 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 sentenced under the minimum range of the sentencing guidelines.
