US Individual Connected to Australian Shooters Strikes Plea Bargain with Federal Attorneys
An American citizen linked with the culprits behind the fatal Wieambilla, Australia attack that took six lives – including two officers from Queensland – has agreed to a watered-down plea agreement.
Resident of Arizona Donald Day Jr will appear in court on 21 October after finalizing the bargain with American authorities.
The convicted felon, referred to online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is expected to admit guilt to a sole charge of illegally owning guns and bullets in a arrangement to be sanctioned by the judiciary in the current month.
Links to Aussie Gunmen
Authorities confirmed clear connections between the defendant and the Train couple through digital communications.
The Trains, along with Gareth’s brother Nathaniel, killed Queensland police officers Arnold and McCrow, and neighbour Alan Dare at a isolated location in Wieambilla, Queensland in 2022.
They were killed in a final shootout with law enforcement, following a extended standoff at the rural site.
US prosecutors stated Day communicated via social media with the perpetrators around the time of the fatal attack.
He described Queensland officers as “malignant, malformed and malevolent”, and said they should be shown “no mercy whatsoever”, informing the Trains he desired to be at the scene in person.
Legal filings outlined how the couple had posted an apocalyptic video on the video platform after the incident, saying 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,” they said.
Weapons Stockpile and Court Case
Legal records reveal Day accumulated a cache of nine high-powered firearms and numerous bullets of ammunition at a rural property in Heber, AZ, that was outfitted with a gun 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',” he said in the agreement submitted in the legal system.
He said he regularly accessed both the gun room and the weapons, and also instructed others on how to operate the guns properly.
The plea deal will lead to charges dropped that relate to the accused making of threats to public figures and federal agents.
According to legal files, Day had been prohibited from owning guns and arms because of his violent criminal history.
The defendant, who has completed two years in custody, could receive a maximum penalty of up to 15 years imprisonment in jail or a fine of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the plea deal stipulates he will be sentenced under the minimum range of the sentencing guidelines.
