American Individual Connected to Australian Shooters Secures Plea Deal with Prosecutors
A US man linked with the culprits behind the deadly Wieambilla, Australia shooting that claimed six lives – among them two officers from Queensland – has accepted a less severe plea agreement.
Resident of Arizona Donald Day Jr will face court on October 21 after striking the plea deal with American authorities.
The convicted felon, known online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is expected to plead guilty to a single offense of unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition in a deal to be approved by the court in the current month.
Links to Australian Shooters
Investigators established direct links between Day and Gareth and Stacey Train through digital communications.
The Trains, along with Gareth’s brother Nathaniel, killed Queensland police officers Arnold and McCrow, and neighbor Alan Dare at a isolated location in Wieambilla, Queensland in 2022.
The Trains were fatally shot in a gun battle with police, following a protracted siege at the regional property.
American officials stated Day communicated via social media with the Trains around the time of the fatal attack.
He described Queensland officers as “evil, corrupt, and wicked”, and said they should be shown “absolutely no quarter”, informing them he wanted to be at Wieambilla physically.
Legal filings detailed how the couple had uploaded an apocalyptic recording on YouTube after the incident, 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,” they said.
Weapons Stockpile and Court Case
Court documents reveal Day accumulated a collection of multiple powerful guns and hundreds of rounds of ammo at a country estate in Heber, Arizona, that was outfitted with a shooting range, gun room and sniper hide.
“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 the legal system.
Day said he frequently used both the gun room and the firearms, and also instructed individuals on how to use the firearms properly.
The bargain will result in dismissed counts that relate to the accused issuing threats to public figures and federal agents.
Based on legal files, Day had been prohibited from owning weapons and firearms because of his history of violent crimes.
Day, who has served 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 agreement specifies he will be judged under the low end of the legal sentencing standards.
