US Man Connected to Aussie Gunmen Strikes Plea Deal with Prosecutors
An American citizen associated with the culprits behind the fatal Wieambilla shooting that took the lives of six individuals – among them two officers from Queensland – has agreed to a watered-down plea agreement.
Arizona-based Donald Day Jr. will appear in court on October 21 after striking the plea deal with US prosecutors.
The individual with prior convictions, known online as “Geronimo's Bones”, is expected to admit guilt to a single offense of illegally owning guns and bullets in a arrangement to be sanctioned by the court this month.
Links to Australian Shooters
Authorities confirmed direct links between Day and Gareth and Stacey Train through digital communications.
This couple, along with Gareth’s brother Nathaniel, murdered officers from Queensland Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbour Alan Dare at a isolated location in Wieambilla, Queensland in 2022.
The Trains were killed in a final shootout with police, following a extended standoff at the regional property.
American officials said the accused communicated via social media with the Trains around the time of the deadly ambush.
Day described Queensland officers as “malignant, malformed and malevolent”, and said they should be shown “absolutely no quarter”, telling the Trains he wanted to be at the scene in person.
Legal filings outlined how Gareth and Stacey Train had posted an end-times recording on YouTube 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 will meet you at home, Don. With love,” the Trains said.
Firearms Cache and Court Case
Legal records show Day stockpiled a cache of nine high-powered firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammo at a rural property in Heber, AZ, that was outfitted 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 stated he regularly accessed both the weapons storage and the firearms, and also trained individuals on how to operate the guns correctly.
The plea deal will lead to dismissed counts that relate to the accused issuing threats to public figures and FBI agents.
Based on court documents, the individual had been banned from owning weapons and firearms because of his violent criminal history.
The defendant, who has served two years in custody, could receive a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in prison or a penalty of $250,000 (A$381,500), but the agreement specifies he will be judged under the minimum range of the sentencing guidelines.
