US Man Connected to Aussie Gunmen Strikes Plea Bargain with Prosecutors

An American citizen linked with the culprits behind the deadly Wieambilla attack that claimed the lives of six individuals – among them two officers from Queensland – has accepted a less severe plea agreement.

Resident of Arizona Donald Day Jr. will appear in court on October 21 after striking the plea deal with American authorities.

The individual with prior convictions, known online as “Geronimo’s Bones”, is expected to plead guilty to a single charge of illegally owning firearms and ammunition in a arrangement to be approved by the judiciary in the current month.

Connections to Australian Shooters

Investigators confirmed clear connections between Day and Gareth and Stacey Train through digital communications.

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

The Trains were fatally shot in a final shootout with law enforcement, following a protracted siege at the regional property.

American officials said Day corresponded via social media with the Trains around the time of the deadly ambush.

He described Queensland police as “malignant, malformed and malevolent”, and said they should be shown “absolutely no quarter”, informing them he desired to be at Wieambilla in person.

Court documents detailed how the couple had posted an end-times 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 show Day accumulated a collection of multiple powerful guns and hundreds of rounds of ammo at a country estate in Heber, AZ, that was outfitted with a gun 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 admitted in the agreement submitted in court.

Day said he frequently used both the gun room and the weapons, and also trained others on how to operate the firearms properly.

The plea deal will result in charges dropped that pertain to the alleged making of threats to officials and FBI agents.

According to legal files, the individual had been prohibited from owning weapons and firearms because of his violent criminal history.

Day, who has served two years in detention, could receive a maximum penalty of up to 15 years imprisonment in jail or a penalty of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the plea deal stipulates he will be judged under the low end of the legal sentencing standards.