US Individual Linked to Aussie Shooters Strikes Plea Bargain with Prosecutors
A US man associated with the perpetrators behind the fatal Wieambilla, Australia shooting that claimed six lives – among them two officers from Queensland – has accepted a less severe plea deal.
Resident of Arizona Donald Day Jr. will appear in court on 21 October after finalizing the bargain with US prosecutors.
The convicted felon, referred to online as “Geronimo's Bones”, is expected to plead guilty to a sole offense of unlawfully possessing guns and bullets in a deal to be approved by the court in the current month.
Links to Aussie Gunmen
Authorities confirmed direct links between Day and Gareth and Stacey Train through digital communications.
The Trains, along with Nathaniel Train, killed 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 gun battle with law enforcement, following a extended standoff at the regional property.
US prosecutors said the accused communicated via online platforms with the perpetrators during the period of the fatal attack.
He referred to Queensland police as “malignant, malformed and malevolent”, and said they should be shown “no mercy whatsoever”, telling them he wanted to be at the scene physically.
Court documents outlined how the couple had uploaded an apocalyptic video on the video platform after the incident, 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,” the Trains expressed.
Firearms Cache and Legal Proceedings
Court documents reveal the defendant stockpiled a cache of nine high-powered firearms and numerous bullets of ammo at a rural property in Heber, AZ, that was equipped with a gun 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',” Day said in the plea deal submitted in court.
He stated he regularly accessed both the gun room and the firearms, and also instructed others on how to operate the firearms correctly.
The plea deal will lead to dismissed counts that relate to the alleged issuing threats to officials and FBI agents.
According to legal files, the individual had been banned from possessing guns and arms because of his history of violent crimes.
Day, who has completed 24 months in detention, could receive a maximum penalty of up to 15 years imprisonment in jail or a fine of $250,000 (A$381,500), but the plea deal stipulates he will be judged under the minimum range of the sentencing guidelines.
