American Man Connected to Australian Gunmen Strikes Plea Bargain with Federal Attorneys
An American citizen linked with the culprits behind the deadly Wieambilla attack that took six lives – among them two officers from Queensland – has accepted a less severe plea deal.
Resident of Arizona Donald Day Jr will appear in court on 21 October after striking the plea deal with American authorities.
The convicted felon, known online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is anticipated to admit guilt to a sole charge of illegally owning guns and bullets in a arrangement to be sanctioned by the judiciary this month.
Connections to Aussie Gunmen
Authorities established direct links between Day and Gareth and Stacey Train through digital communications.
This couple, along with Nathaniel Train, murdered Queensland police officers Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbour Alan Dare at a remote property in Wieambilla in 2022.
The Trains were killed in a final shootout with law enforcement, following a extended standoff at the rural site.
US prosecutors said the accused corresponded via social media with the perpetrators around the time of the deadly ambush.
He described Queensland officers as “evil, corrupt, and wicked”, and declared they should be shown “no mercy whatsoever”, informing them he wanted to be at the scene physically.
Legal filings detailed how Gareth and Stacey Train had uploaded an apocalyptic video on YouTube after the shootings, saying 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 expressed.
Firearms Cache and Court Case
Court documents show the defendant stockpiled a cache of multiple powerful guns and numerous bullets of ammo at a rural property in Heber, Arizona, that was outfitted 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 admitted in the plea deal filed in the legal system.
He stated he frequently used both the gun room and the firearms, and also trained others on how to operate the firearms properly.
The bargain will lead to dismissed counts that relate to the alleged issuing threats to officials and federal agents.
Based on legal files, Day had been banned from possessing weapons and firearms because of his history of violent crimes.
The defendant, who has served 24 months in detention, faces a highest sentence of up to 15 years imprisonment in prison or a fine of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the agreement stipulates he will be sentenced under the low end of the legal sentencing standards.
