US Man Connected to Aussie Gunmen Strikes Plea Bargain with Federal Attorneys
A US man linked with the perpetrators behind the deadly Wieambilla, Australia shooting that claimed the lives of six individuals – including two officers from Queensland – has agreed to a watered-down plea agreement.
Resident of Arizona Donald Day Jr will appear in court on 21 October after finalizing the bargain with American authorities.
The convicted felon, known online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is expected to plead guilty to a single offense of illegally owning firearms and ammunition in a arrangement to be approved by the court this month.
Connections to Aussie Gunmen
Authorities established clear connections between Day and the Train couple through online posts.
The Trains, along with Nathaniel Train, killed officers from Queensland Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbor Alan Dare at a isolated location in Wieambilla in 2022.
The Trains were fatally shot in a final shootout with police, following a extended standoff at the regional property.
American officials stated the accused communicated via social media with the Trains during the period of the deadly ambush.
Day referred to Queensland officers as “malignant, malformed and malevolent”, and said they should be shown “no mercy whatsoever”, telling them he desired to be at Wieambilla physically.
Legal filings outlined how the couple had posted an end-times recording on the video platform after the shootings, stating police “attempted to kill us, and we retaliated”.
“Failing to stand against these evil forces makes one a coward … We will meet you at home, Don. With love,” they said.
Weapons Stockpile and Legal Proceedings
Legal records show the defendant accumulated a collection of nine high-powered firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammo at a country estate in Heber, AZ, that was equipped with a shooting range, gun 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’,” he said in the plea deal submitted in court.
Day said he frequently used both the weapons storage and the weapons, and also instructed others on how to use the guns properly.
The bargain will result in dismissed counts that pertain to the accused issuing threats to public figures and federal agents.
Based on legal files, the individual had been banned from owning weapons and firearms because of his violent criminal history.
The defendant, who has served two years in detention, could receive a highest sentence of up to 15 years in prison or a penalty of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the plea deal stipulates he will be sentenced under the low end of the sentencing guidelines.
