American Individual Linked to Aussie Gunmen Strikes Plea Bargain with Prosecutors
A US man linked with the culprits behind the fatal Wieambilla shooting that took the lives of six individuals – among them two Queensland police officers – has accepted a less severe plea deal.
Arizona-based Donald Day Jr. will face court on October 21 after striking the plea deal with US prosecutors.
The individual with prior convictions, known online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is expected to admit guilt to a single offense of illegally owning guns and bullets in a deal to be approved by the court this month.
Links to Aussie Gunmen
Investigators established clear connections between Day and Gareth and Stacey Train through digital communications.
This couple, along with Gareth’s brother Nathaniel, murdered Queensland police officers Arnold and McCrow, and neighbor Alan Dare at a remote property in Wieambilla, Queensland in 2022.
They were fatally shot in a gun battle with law enforcement, following a extended standoff at the regional property.
US prosecutors stated Day communicated via online platforms with the perpetrators during the period of the deadly ambush.
Day described Queensland officers as “malignant, malformed and malevolent”, and declared they should be shown “absolutely no quarter”, telling them he wanted to be at Wieambilla physically.
Legal filings outlined how the couple had posted an apocalyptic video on YouTube after the shootings, stating authorities “came to kill us and we killed them”.
“If you don’t defend yourself against these devils and demons, you’re a coward … We will meet you at home, Don. With love,” the Trains expressed.
Firearms Cache and Legal Proceedings
Legal records reveal the defendant stockpiled a cache of multiple powerful guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition at a rural property in Heber, AZ, that was outfitted with a gun 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',” he said in the agreement filed in court.
Day said he regularly accessed both the gun room and the weapons, and also trained others on how to operate the firearms correctly.
The plea deal will result in dismissed counts that pertain to the alleged making of threats to officials and FBI agents.
Based on legal files, the individual had been prohibited from possessing guns and arms because of his violent criminal history.
The defendant, who has served 24 months in custody, could receive a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in jail or a fine of $250,000 (A$381,500), but the plea deal stipulates he will be sentenced under the low end of the sentencing guidelines.
