US Man Connected to Australian Shooters Secures Plea Deal with Federal Attorneys
A US man linked with the perpetrators behind the deadly Wieambilla shooting that claimed six lives – among them two Queensland police officers – has accepted a watered-down plea deal.
Resident of Arizona Donald Day Jr will appear in court on October 21 after striking the bargain with American authorities.
The individual with prior convictions, referred to online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is expected to admit guilt to a sole charge of unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition in a arrangement to be sanctioned by the judiciary this month.
Connections to Aussie Gunmen
Authorities confirmed clear connections between the defendant and the Train couple through online posts.
The Trains, along with Gareth’s brother Nathaniel, murdered Queensland police officers Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbor Alan Dare at a remote property in Wieambilla, Queensland in 2022.
The Trains were fatally shot in a gun battle with police, following a extended standoff at the rural site.
US prosecutors said the accused communicated via online platforms with the perpetrators during the period of the deadly ambush.
He referred to Queensland police as “evil, corrupt, and wicked”, and said they should be shown “no mercy whatsoever”, informing the Trains he desired to be at the scene physically.
Court documents outlined how the couple had uploaded an end-times video on the video platform after the incident, saying police “attempted to kill us, and we retaliated”.
“If you don’t defend yourself against these devils and demons, you’re a coward … We will meet you at home, Don. With love,” they expressed.
Firearms Cache and Legal Proceedings
Legal records reveal Day accumulated a collection of nine high-powered firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition at a rural property in Heber, AZ, 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 plea deal submitted in the legal system.
He said he frequently used both the weapons storage and the firearms, and also instructed others on how to use the guns properly.
The plea deal will lead to dismissed counts that relate to the accused making of threats to public figures and FBI agents.
Based on legal files, the individual had been banned from possessing guns and arms because of his violent criminal history.
Day, who has served 24 months in detention, 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 stipulates he will be judged under the minimum range of the sentencing guidelines.
