American Individual Connected to Australian Shooters Secures Plea Bargain with Prosecutors
An American citizen associated with the perpetrators behind the deadly Wieambilla, Australia shooting that took six lives – including two Queensland police officers – has agreed to 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, known online as “Geronimo's Bones”, is anticipated to plead guilty to a sole charge of illegally owning firearms and ammunition in a deal to be sanctioned by the judiciary this month.
Connections to Australian Shooters
Authorities established clear connections between Day and Gareth and Stacey Train through online posts.
The Trains, along with Gareth’s brother Nathaniel, 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 law enforcement, following a protracted siege at the regional property.
US prosecutors stated Day corresponded via online platforms with the Trains during the period of the fatal attack.
Day referred to Queensland officers as “evil, corrupt, and wicked”, and said they should be shown “absolutely no quarter”, telling the Trains he wanted to be at Wieambilla in person.
Legal filings detailed how the couple had posted an apocalyptic video on YouTube after the shootings, 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 will meet you at home, Don. With love,” the Trains expressed.
Firearms Cache and Legal Proceedings
Legal records show Day stockpiled a collection of nine high-powered firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition at a rural property in Heber, AZ, that was outfitted with a shooting range, gun room and sniper’s nest.
“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 submitted in the legal system.
He said he frequently used both the weapons storage and the firearms, and also trained others on how to operate the guns properly.
The bargain will result in dismissed counts that relate to the accused making of threats to officials and federal agents.
Based on legal files, Day had been banned from possessing weapons and firearms because of his violent criminal history.
The defendant, who has served 24 months in detention, faces a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in prison or a penalty of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the agreement specifies he will be sentenced under the minimum range of the sentencing guidelines.
