American Man Connected to Aussie Shooters Secures Plea Bargain with Federal Attorneys
An American citizen linked with the perpetrators behind the fatal Wieambilla, Australia attack that took six lives – including two officers from Queensland – has accepted a less severe plea agreement.
Resident of Arizona Donald Day Jr will face court on 21 October after striking the bargain with US prosecutors.
The convicted felon, referred to online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is expected to plead guilty to a single charge of illegally owning firearms and ammunition in a deal to be sanctioned by the judiciary this month.
Links to Aussie Gunmen
Investigators established clear connections between Day and the Train couple through online posts.
This couple, along with Nathaniel Train, murdered Queensland police officers Arnold and McCrow, and neighbor Alan Dare at a remote property in Wieambilla in 2022.
The Trains were fatally shot in a gun battle with law enforcement, following a extended standoff at the regional property.
US prosecutors said Day corresponded via social media with the Trains around the time of the fatal attack.
Day described Queensland officers as “evil, corrupt, and wicked”, and declared they should be shown “absolutely no quarter”, informing the Trains he wanted to be at Wieambilla in person.
Court documents outlined how the couple had uploaded an end-times video on YouTube after the shootings, stating police “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 said.
Firearms Cache and Court Case
Court documents reveal Day stockpiled a cache of nine high-powered firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammo at a country estate in Heber, AZ, that was equipped with a shooting range, gun room and sniper hide.
“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 agreement submitted in the legal system.
Day said he frequently used both the gun room and the weapons, and also trained individuals on how to operate the firearms correctly.
The plea deal will lead to charges dropped that pertain to the accused issuing threats to public figures and FBI agents.
According to court documents, Day had been prohibited from owning weapons and firearms because of his history of violent crimes.
The defendant, who has served two years in custody, 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 stipulates he will be sentenced under the low end of the sentencing guidelines.
