US Man Connected to Aussie Gunmen Strikes Plea Deal with Federal Attorneys
An American citizen associated with the perpetrators behind the deadly Wieambilla, Australia attack that claimed the lives of six individuals – among them two officers from Queensland – has accepted a less severe plea agreement.
Resident of Arizona Donald Day Jr. will face court on 21 October after striking the plea deal with American authorities.
The individual with prior convictions, referred to online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is expected 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 Aussie Gunmen
Investigators confirmed clear connections between the defendant and Gareth and Stacey Train through digital communications.
The Trains, along with Nathaniel Train, murdered Queensland police officers Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbor Alan Dare at a isolated location in Wieambilla, Queensland in 2022.
The Trains were fatally shot in a gun battle with police, following a extended standoff at the regional property.
US prosecutors stated Day communicated via online platforms with the perpetrators during the period of the deadly ambush.
Day referred to Queensland police as “malignant, malformed and malevolent”, and said they should be shown “no mercy whatsoever”, informing them he desired to be at Wieambilla physically.
Court documents detailed how the couple had posted an apocalyptic recording on YouTube after the shootings, stating authorities “attempted to kill us, and we retaliated”.
“If you don’t defend yourself against these devils and demons, you’re a coward … we’ll see you at home, Don. Love you,” they said.
Firearms Cache and Legal Proceedings
Legal records show Day accumulated a cache of nine high-powered firearms and numerous bullets of ammo at a country estate in Heber, Arizona, that was outfitted with a gun range, weapons 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 said in the agreement submitted in the legal system.
He stated he frequently used both the weapons storage and the firearms, and also instructed others on how to use the firearms properly.
The plea deal will result in dismissed counts that pertain to the alleged issuing threats to public figures and federal agents.
Based on legal files, Day had been prohibited from owning guns and arms because of his history of violent crimes.
The defendant, who has completed 24 months in custody, faces a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in jail or a fine of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the plea deal stipulates he will be sentenced under the minimum range of the legal sentencing standards.
