US Man Linked to Australian Shooters Strikes Plea Deal with Federal Attorneys
An American citizen associated with the perpetrators behind the fatal Wieambilla, Australia attack that claimed six lives – including two officers from Queensland – has accepted a less severe plea agreement.
Arizona-based Donald Day Jr. will appear in court on October 21 after finalizing the plea deal with American authorities.
The individual with prior convictions, referred to online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is anticipated to admit guilt to a single charge of unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition in a deal to be sanctioned by the judiciary this month.
Connections to Australian Shooters
Investigators established direct links between Day and the Train couple through online posts.
This couple, along with Gareth’s brother Nathaniel, 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 gun battle with police, following a protracted siege at the regional property.
US prosecutors said the accused corresponded via online platforms with the perpetrators during the period of the deadly ambush.
Day described Queensland police as “evil, corrupt, and wicked”, and declared they should be shown “absolutely no quarter”, informing the Trains he wanted to be at the scene in person.
Court documents outlined how Gareth and Stacey Train had posted an end-times recording on YouTube after the incident, saying police “came to kill us and we killed them”.
“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 said.
Firearms Cache and Legal Proceedings
Court documents show Day accumulated a cache of nine high-powered firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition at a country estate in Heber, AZ, that was outfitted with a gun 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 admitted in the plea deal submitted in court.
He said he frequently used both the gun room and the firearms, and also instructed individuals on how to operate the guns properly.
The bargain will result in dismissed counts that relate to the alleged making of threats to officials and FBI agents.
According to court documents, Day had been banned from owning guns and arms because of his violent criminal history.
Day, who has served two years in custody, faces a maximum penalty of up to 15 years imprisonment in jail or a fine of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the plea deal specifies he will be sentenced under the minimum range of the sentencing guidelines.
