American Individual Connected to Aussie Shooters Strikes Plea Bargain with Federal Attorneys
A US man linked with the culprits behind the deadly Wieambilla attack that took six lives – among them two officers from Queensland – has accepted a less severe plea agreement.
Arizona-based Donald Day Jr will face court on October 21 after striking the plea deal with American authorities.
The convicted felon, referred to online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is expected to admit guilt to a sole charge of unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition in a deal to be sanctioned by the judiciary in the current month.
Connections to Australian Shooters
Investigators confirmed direct links between Day and the Train couple through digital communications.
This couple, along with Nathaniel Train, murdered officers from Queensland Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbour Alan Dare at a isolated location in Wieambilla in 2022.
They were killed in a final shootout with law enforcement, following a protracted siege at the regional property.
US prosecutors said Day corresponded via social media with the perpetrators during the period of the deadly ambush.
Day described Queensland police as “evil, corrupt, and wicked”, and said they should be shown “absolutely no quarter”, informing the Trains he wanted to be at Wieambilla physically.
Court documents detailed how the couple had posted an apocalyptic video on the video platform 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’ll see you at home, Don. Love you,” they expressed.
Weapons Stockpile and Court Case
Legal records show Day accumulated a cache of nine high-powered firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition at a country estate in Heber, Arizona, that was outfitted with a gun range, weapons 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’,” Day said in the plea deal filed in the legal system.
Day stated he frequently used both the gun room and the firearms, and also instructed individuals on how to use the firearms correctly.
The plea deal will result in dismissed counts that pertain to the accused making of threats to public figures and federal agents.
According to legal files, Day had been banned from owning guns and arms because of his violent criminal history.
The defendant, who has served 24 months in detention, could receive a highest sentence of up to 15 years in prison or a penalty of $250,000 (A$381,500), but the plea deal stipulates he will be judged under the minimum range of the legal sentencing standards.
