US Individual Connected to Australian Shooters Secures Plea Deal with Federal Attorneys

A US man linked with the culprits behind the deadly Wieambilla shooting that claimed the lives of six individuals – 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 plea deal with US prosecutors.

The convicted felon, referred to online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is anticipated to plead guilty to a single charge of illegally owning firearms and ammunition in a deal to be sanctioned by the court in the current month.

Links to Australian Shooters

Investigators confirmed direct links between the defendant and the Train couple through online posts.

The Trains, along with Nathaniel Train, killed Queensland police officers Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbor Alan Dare at a isolated location in Wieambilla, Queensland in 2022.

The Trains were fatally shot in a gun battle with law enforcement, following a extended standoff at the regional property.

American officials stated the accused corresponded via online platforms with the perpetrators around the time of the deadly ambush.

He described Queensland officers as “malignant, malformed and malevolent”, and said they should be shown “absolutely no quarter”, informing the Trains he desired to be at the scene in person.

Court documents detailed 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”.

“If you don’t defend yourself against these devils and demons, you’re a coward … We will meet you at home, Don. With love,” they said.

Firearms Cache and Legal Proceedings

Legal records show the defendant stockpiled a cache of multiple powerful guns and numerous bullets of ammunition at a country estate in Heber, AZ, that was outfitted with a shooting range, weapons 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.

He said he regularly accessed both the gun room and the weapons, and also instructed others on how to use the firearms properly.

The plea deal will lead to dismissed counts that pertain to the alleged making of threats to public figures and federal agents.

According to court documents, Day had been banned from owning weapons and firearms because of his history of violent crimes.

Day, who has completed 24 months in custody, faces a highest sentence of up to 15 years imprisonment in prison or a penalty of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the plea deal stipulates he will be judged under the minimum range of the sentencing guidelines.