American Individual Connected to Australian Gunmen Strikes Plea Bargain with Federal Attorneys
A US man linked with the culprits behind the fatal Wieambilla shooting that claimed six lives – among them two officers from Queensland – has agreed to a less severe plea deal.
Resident of Arizona Donald Day Jr will appear in court on 21 October after striking the bargain with US prosecutors.
The individual with prior convictions, referred to online as “Geronimo's Bones”, is anticipated to plead guilty to a single offense of unlawfully possessing guns and bullets in a arrangement to be approved by the judiciary this month.
Connections to Aussie Gunmen
Investigators confirmed direct links between Day and the Train couple through online posts.
This couple, along with Nathaniel Train, killed Queensland police officers Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbour Alan Dare at a remote property in Wieambilla in 2022.
The Trains were killed in a gun battle with police, following a extended standoff at the regional property.
US prosecutors said the accused corresponded via online platforms with the Trains during the period of the fatal attack.
Day described Queensland police as “malignant, malformed and malevolent”, and declared they should be shown “no mercy whatsoever”, informing the Trains he wanted to be at the scene in person.
Legal filings outlined how the couple had uploaded an end-times video on the video platform after the incident, saying police “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.
Weapons Stockpile and Legal Proceedings
Legal records show Day stockpiled a cache of nine high-powered firearms and numerous bullets of ammo at a country estate in Heber, Arizona, that was outfitted with a gun range, weapons 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 admitted in the agreement filed in the legal system.
He stated he frequently used both the gun room and the firearms, and also instructed others on how to operate the guns properly.
The bargain will lead to charges dropped that relate to the accused making of threats to public figures and federal agents.
Based on legal files, the individual had been prohibited from possessing weapons and firearms because of his violent criminal history.
The defendant, who has served two years in detention, could receive a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in jail or a penalty of $250,000 (A$381,500), but the agreement stipulates he will be judged under the low end of the legal sentencing standards.
