US Man Connected to Australian Shooters Strikes Plea Deal with Federal Attorneys
An American citizen associated with the culprits behind the fatal Wieambilla shooting that took the lives of six individuals – including two Queensland police officers – has agreed to a watered-down plea agreement.
Arizona-based Donald Day Jr will appear in court on 21 October after striking the bargain with US prosecutors.
The individual with prior convictions, referred to online as “Geronimo's Bones”, is anticipated to admit guilt to a sole offense of illegally owning firearms and ammunition in a deal to be sanctioned by the court this month.
Links to Australian Shooters
Investigators established direct links between the defendant and Gareth and Stacey Train through digital communications.
This couple, along with Nathaniel Train, murdered Queensland police officers Arnold and McCrow, and neighbour Alan Dare at a isolated location in Wieambilla, Queensland in 2022.
They were fatally shot in a final shootout with law enforcement, following a protracted siege at the regional property.
US prosecutors said Day corresponded via online platforms with the Trains during the period of the fatal attack.
Day referred to Queensland officers as “evil, corrupt, and wicked”, and declared they should be shown “no mercy whatsoever”, informing the Trains he desired to be at the scene in person.
Legal filings detailed how Gareth and Stacey Train had uploaded an end-times video on YouTube 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,” the Trains expressed.
Weapons Stockpile and Court Case
Court documents show the defendant stockpiled a collection of nine high-powered firearms and numerous bullets of ammo at a rural property in Heber, AZ, that was equipped with a shooting range, weapons room and sniper hide.
“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 filed in the legal system.
Day said he frequently used both the weapons storage and the firearms, and also trained others on how to operate the firearms properly.
The plea deal will lead to charges dropped that relate to the alleged making of threats to officials and FBI agents.
According to legal files, the individual had been banned from owning weapons and firearms because of his violent criminal history.
The defendant, who has completed two years in custody, could receive a highest sentence of up to 15 years in prison or a fine of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the plea deal stipulates he will be judged under the low end of the legal sentencing standards.
