American Man Connected to Aussie Gunmen Strikes Plea Deal with Prosecutors
An American citizen linked with the perpetrators behind the deadly Wieambilla, Australia attack that claimed six lives – including two officers from Queensland – has accepted a watered-down plea agreement.
Resident of Arizona Donald Day Jr. will face court on 21 October after finalizing the plea deal with American authorities.
The individual with prior convictions, known online as “Geronimo's Bones”, is anticipated to admit guilt to a sole charge of unlawfully possessing guns and bullets in a deal to be approved by the judiciary this month.
Connections to Aussie Gunmen
Investigators confirmed direct links between the defendant and the Train couple through online posts.
The Trains, along with Gareth’s brother Nathaniel, murdered officers from Queensland Arnold and McCrow, and neighbour Alan Dare at a remote property in Wieambilla in 2022.
The Trains were fatally shot in a gun battle with police, following a protracted siege at the rural site.
American officials stated Day corresponded via online platforms with the perpetrators around the time of the deadly ambush.
He referred to Queensland officers as “malignant, malformed and malevolent”, and said they should be shown “no mercy whatsoever”, telling the Trains he wanted to be at Wieambilla physically.
Legal filings outlined how the couple had posted an end-times recording on the video platform after the incident, 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,” they said.
Firearms Cache and Court Case
Court documents reveal Day accumulated a collection of nine high-powered firearms 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’,” he admitted in the agreement submitted in court.
Day said he regularly accessed both the gun room and the weapons, and also trained individuals on how to operate the firearms correctly.
The plea deal will result in dismissed counts that relate to the accused making of threats to officials and federal agents.
According to court documents, Day had been banned from owning guns and arms because of his violent criminal history.
Day, who has served 24 months in custody, faces a maximum penalty 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 sentenced under the low end of the legal sentencing standards.