US Individual Connected to Aussie Gunmen Strikes Plea Bargain with Prosecutors
An American citizen linked with the perpetrators behind the deadly Wieambilla, Australia shooting that claimed six lives – among them two Queensland police officers – has accepted a less severe plea deal.
Arizona-based Donald Day Jr. will appear in court on 21 October after finalizing the bargain with US prosecutors.
The individual with prior convictions, known online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is anticipated to plead guilty to a sole offense of unlawfully possessing guns and bullets in a arrangement to be approved by the judiciary this month.
Connections to Australian Shooters
Authorities established direct links between Day and Gareth and Stacey Train through digital communications.
The Trains, along with Nathaniel Train, murdered Queensland police officers Arnold and McCrow, and neighbor Alan Dare at a isolated location in Wieambilla, Queensland in 2022.
The Trains were fatally shot in a final shootout with police, following a protracted siege at the regional property.
US prosecutors stated the accused communicated via social media with the perpetrators around the time of the deadly ambush.
He referred to Queensland officers as “malignant, malformed and malevolent”, and declared they should be shown “no mercy whatsoever”, informing the Trains he wanted to be at the scene in person.
Court documents detailed how the couple had uploaded an end-times recording on the video platform 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,” the Trains said.
Firearms Cache and Legal Proceedings
Court documents reveal Day accumulated a cache of multiple powerful guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition at a country estate in Heber, Arizona, that was equipped with a shooting range, gun 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 plea deal filed in court.
Day stated he regularly accessed both the weapons storage and the weapons, and also instructed individuals on how to operate the firearms properly.
The bargain will result in dismissed counts that relate to the accused making of threats to public figures and federal agents.
According to court documents, Day had been prohibited from possessing weapons and firearms because of his history of violent crimes.
Day, who has served 24 months in custody, faces a highest sentence of up to 15 years imprisonment in prison or a penalty of $250,000 (A$381,500), but the agreement stipulates he will be judged under the minimum range of the legal sentencing standards.