US Individual Linked to Aussie Shooters Secures Plea Bargain with Federal Attorneys
A US man linked with the perpetrators behind the fatal Wieambilla, Australia attack that took six lives – among them two Queensland police officers – has accepted a less severe plea agreement.
Resident of Arizona Donald Day Jr. will face court on 21 October after finalizing the bargain with US prosecutors.
The individual with prior convictions, referred to online as “Geronimo's Bones”, is anticipated to plead guilty to a single charge of illegally owning guns and bullets in a deal to be sanctioned by the judiciary in the current month.
Connections to Aussie Gunmen
Authorities confirmed direct links between the defendant and Gareth and Stacey Train through online posts.
This couple, along with Nathaniel Train, killed officers from Queensland Arnold and McCrow, and neighbor Alan Dare at a isolated location in Wieambilla in 2022.
They were killed in a final shootout with police, following a extended standoff at the rural site.
US prosecutors said the accused communicated via online platforms with the Trains around the time of the fatal attack.
He referred to Queensland officers as “malignant, malformed and malevolent”, and declared they should be shown “no mercy whatsoever”, informing the Trains he desired to be at the scene in person.
Legal filings detailed how the couple had posted an apocalyptic recording on YouTube after the shootings, saying 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 expressed.
Firearms Cache and Legal Proceedings
Court documents show Day stockpiled a cache of nine high-powered firearms and numerous bullets of ammo at a country estate in Heber, AZ, that was outfitted with a shooting 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',” he said in the agreement submitted in the legal system.
He stated 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 result in charges dropped that relate to the accused making of threats to officials and FBI 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 served two years in detention, could receive a maximum penalty of up to 15 years imprisonment in prison or a penalty of $250,000 (A$381,500), but the plea deal specifies he will be sentenced under the low end of the legal sentencing standards.
