American Man Connected to Aussie Gunmen Secures Plea Deal with Prosecutors
A US man linked with the perpetrators behind the deadly Wieambilla shooting that claimed the lives of six individuals – among them two officers from Queensland – has accepted a watered-down plea deal.
Arizona-based Donald Day Jr. will face court on October 21 after finalizing the plea deal with US prosecutors.
The individual with prior convictions, known online as “Geronimo's Bones”, is expected to plead guilty to a sole charge of unlawfully possessing guns and bullets in a arrangement to be sanctioned by the judiciary in the current month.
Connections to Australian Shooters
Authorities established clear connections between Day and Gareth and Stacey Train through digital communications.
This couple, along with Gareth’s brother Nathaniel, killed officers from Queensland Arnold and McCrow, and neighbor Alan Dare at a remote property in Wieambilla, Queensland in 2022.
They were fatally shot in a final shootout with police, following a protracted siege at the rural site.
US prosecutors stated Day corresponded via social media with the Trains during the period of the deadly ambush.
Day described Queensland officers as “evil, corrupt, and wicked”, and said they should be shown “no mercy whatsoever”, informing them he wanted to be at Wieambilla in person.
Court documents detailed how Gareth and Stacey Train had uploaded an end-times video on the video platform after the shootings, stating 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,” they expressed.
Firearms Cache and Court Case
Legal records reveal Day accumulated a cache of nine high-powered firearms and numerous bullets of ammunition at a country estate in Heber, AZ, that was equipped with a shooting range, gun 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 weapons storage and the firearms, and also instructed others on how to operate the guns properly.
The plea deal will lead to charges dropped that relate to the accused making of threats to public figures and FBI agents.
According to legal files, Day had been banned from possessing guns and arms because of his violent criminal history.
Day, who has served two years in detention, could receive a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in jail or a fine of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the agreement stipulates he will be judged under the minimum range of the sentencing guidelines.
