US Man Linked to Australian Shooters Secures Plea Bargain with Prosecutors
An American citizen associated with the culprits behind the deadly Wieambilla shooting that claimed the lives of six individuals – among them two Queensland police officers – has agreed to a less severe plea deal.
Resident of Arizona Donald Day Jr. will appear in court on 21 October 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 single charge of illegally owning firearms and ammunition in a deal to be sanctioned by the court this month.
Links to Australian Shooters
Investigators confirmed direct links between the defendant and Gareth and Stacey Train through online posts.
This couple, along with Nathaniel Train, killed officers from Queensland Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbor Alan Dare at a isolated location in Wieambilla in 2022.
They were killed in a final shootout with police, following a extended standoff at the rural site.
American officials said the accused communicated via online platforms with the Trains 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 desired to be at the scene physically.
Court documents outlined how Gareth and Stacey Train had posted an apocalyptic recording on YouTube after the shootings, saying police “came to kill us and we killed them”.
“Failing to stand against these evil forces makes one a coward … We will meet you at home, Don. With love,” they expressed.
Weapons Stockpile and Legal Proceedings
Legal records reveal the defendant stockpiled a collection of nine high-powered firearms and numerous bullets of ammo at a country estate in Heber, AZ, that was equipped 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 said in the agreement filed in the legal system.
Day said he regularly accessed both the weapons storage and the firearms, and also trained individuals on how to use the guns correctly.
The bargain will result in dismissed counts that pertain to the alleged making of threats to officials and federal agents.
Based on court documents, the individual had been banned from possessing weapons and firearms because of his violent criminal history.
Day, who has completed 24 months in custody, faces a maximum penalty of up to 15 years imprisonment in prison or a penalty of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the agreement stipulates he will be sentenced under the low end of the sentencing guidelines.
