US Man Linked to Aussie Shooters Strikes Plea Bargain with Prosecutors
A US man linked with the culprits behind the deadly Wieambilla attack that took the lives of six individuals – including two officers from Queensland – has agreed to a less severe plea agreement.
Arizona-based Donald Day Jr will face court on October 21 after finalizing the bargain with American authorities.
The individual with prior convictions, referred to online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is anticipated to admit guilt to a single offense of illegally owning guns and bullets in a arrangement to be sanctioned by the judiciary in the current month.
Connections to Australian Shooters
Authorities established direct links between Day and Gareth and Stacey Train through digital communications.
This couple, along with Nathaniel Train, killed officers from Queensland Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbor Alan Dare at a remote property in Wieambilla 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 social media with the perpetrators during the period of the fatal attack.
Day described Queensland police as “malignant, malformed and malevolent”, and said they should be shown “absolutely no quarter”, telling them he desired to be at the scene in person.
Court documents detailed how the couple had posted an apocalyptic video 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 expressed.
Weapons Stockpile and Legal Proceedings
Legal records reveal the defendant stockpiled a collection of nine high-powered firearms and numerous bullets of ammo at a rural property in Heber, Arizona, that was outfitted with a gun range, weapons 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 said in the agreement submitted in the legal system.
He said he regularly accessed both the weapons storage and the weapons, and also trained individuals on how to operate the firearms correctly.
The plea deal will lead to dismissed counts that relate to the accused issuing threats to public figures and FBI agents.
According to legal files, Day had been banned from possessing guns and arms because of his history of violent crimes.
The defendant, who has completed two years in detention, faces a highest sentence of up to 15 years in jail or a penalty of $250,000 (A$381,500), but the agreement specifies he will be sentenced under the minimum range of the legal sentencing standards.
