US Man Connected to Aussie Gunmen Strikes Plea Bargain with Prosecutors
A US man associated with the culprits behind the deadly Wieambilla, Australia shooting that took 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 finalizing the plea deal with US prosecutors.
The convicted felon, known online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is expected to plead guilty to a sole charge of illegally owning guns and bullets in a deal to be approved by the judiciary this month.
Links to Aussie Gunmen
Authorities confirmed clear connections between the defendant and the Train couple 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 remote property in Wieambilla in 2022.
The Trains were killed in a gun battle with law enforcement, following a protracted siege at the rural site.
US prosecutors said the accused communicated via online platforms with the perpetrators during the period of the deadly ambush.
He referred to Queensland officers as “malignant, malformed and malevolent”, and said they should be shown “absolutely no quarter”, informing the Trains he wanted to be at Wieambilla in person.
Legal filings outlined how Gareth and Stacey Train had uploaded an end-times recording on YouTube after the incident, stating authorities “attempted to kill us, and we retaliated”.
“Failing to stand against these evil forces makes one a coward … we’ll see you at home, Don. Love you,” they said.
Weapons Stockpile and Legal Proceedings
Legal records reveal the defendant accumulated a collection of multiple powerful guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition at a rural property in Heber, Arizona, that was outfitted with a shooting 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 plea deal filed in court.
He said he frequently used both the gun room and the weapons, and also instructed others on how to operate the guns properly.
The plea deal will result in charges dropped that pertain to the alleged making of threats to public figures and FBI agents.
According to court documents, the individual had been banned from owning weapons and firearms because of his violent criminal history.
The defendant, who has completed 24 months in detention, could receive a highest sentence of up to 15 years in jail or a fine of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the agreement specifies he will be sentenced under the low end of the legal sentencing standards.
