US Individual Connected to Aussie Shooters Strikes Plea Bargain with Prosecutors
An American citizen associated with the perpetrators behind the fatal Wieambilla, Australia attack that took the lives of six individuals – among them two Queensland police officers – has agreed to a watered-down plea deal.
Resident of Arizona Donald Day Jr will appear in court on October 21 after finalizing the plea deal with US prosecutors.
The convicted felon, referred to online as “Geronimo's Bones”, is anticipated to admit guilt to a sole charge of illegally owning firearms and ammunition in a deal to be approved by the judiciary this month.
Links to Aussie Gunmen
Authorities established clear connections between the defendant and Gareth and Stacey Train through digital communications.
This couple, along with Nathaniel Train, murdered officers from Queensland Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbour Alan Dare at a isolated location in Wieambilla, Queensland in 2022.
They were killed in a gun battle with law enforcement, following a extended standoff at the regional property.
US prosecutors said Day corresponded via online platforms with the Trains during the period of the fatal attack.
Day described Queensland police as “malignant, malformed and malevolent”, and said they should be shown “no mercy whatsoever”, informing them he desired to be at the scene in person.
Court documents outlined how Gareth and Stacey Train had posted an end-times recording on the video platform 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 will meet you at home, Don. With love,” the Trains said.
Firearms Cache and Court Case
Legal records show Day accumulated a cache of multiple powerful guns and hundreds of rounds 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’,” Day admitted in the agreement submitted in the legal system.
Day stated he regularly accessed both the weapons storage and the firearms, and also instructed others on how to use the firearms correctly.
The bargain will result in charges dropped that pertain to the alleged issuing threats to officials and FBI agents.
Based on legal files, the individual had been prohibited from owning weapons and firearms because of his history of violent crimes.
The defendant, who has completed two years in detention, could receive a highest sentence of up to 15 years imprisonment in prison or a penalty of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the plea deal specifies he will be sentenced under the minimum range of the legal sentencing standards.
