US Individual Connected to Australian Gunmen Secures Plea Deal with Prosecutors
A US man linked with the perpetrators behind the fatal Wieambilla attack that claimed six lives – including two officers from Queensland – has accepted a watered-down plea agreement.
Arizona-based Donald Day Jr will appear in court on 21 October after finalizing the plea deal with US prosecutors.
The individual with prior convictions, known online as “Geronimo's Bones”, is expected to admit guilt to a sole offense of illegally owning guns and bullets in a deal to be approved by the court in the current month.
Connections to Aussie Gunmen
Authorities confirmed direct links between the defendant and the Train couple through online posts.
The Trains, along with Gareth’s brother Nathaniel, murdered officers from Queensland Arnold and McCrow, and neighbour Alan Dare at a remote property in Wieambilla, Queensland in 2022.
The Trains were killed in a final shootout with law enforcement, following a extended standoff at the regional property.
American officials said Day corresponded via online platforms with the Trains during the period of the fatal attack.
Day described Queensland officers as “malignant, malformed and malevolent”, and declared they should be shown “no mercy whatsoever”, informing the Trains he desired to be at the scene in person.
Legal filings outlined how the couple had posted an end-times video 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’ll see you at home, Don. Love you,” the Trains said.
Weapons Stockpile and Court Case
Legal records show the defendant accumulated a cache of nine high-powered firearms and numerous bullets of ammunition at a country estate in Heber, AZ, that was outfitted with a shooting range, weapons room and sniper’s nest.
“The guns and ammo were stored in the trailer I occupied with S.S., within a space we named the 'gun room',” Day admitted in the agreement submitted in court.
He stated he regularly accessed both the gun room and the weapons, and also instructed individuals on how to operate the firearms properly.
The plea deal 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 history of violent crimes.
The defendant, who has served two years in detention, faces a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in prison or a fine of $250,000 (A$381,500), but the plea deal stipulates he will be judged under the low end of the sentencing guidelines.
