The families of police officers murdered in an ambush at Wieambilla would be “immensely” hurt to learn a conspiracy theorist connected to the killers had entered a watered-down plea deal to US charges, the Queensland premier says.
Speaking in Townsville on Wednesday, David Crisafulli described the 2022 murders of police officers Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, along with neighbour Alan Dare, as a “crime that rocked the Queensland police family”.
“It rocked the state,”
he said.
Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow were killed during the Wieambilla shootings. (Supplied)
US-based conspiracy theorist Donald Day Jr, who was in touch with two of the murderers, has had a watered down plea deal to a single charge filed in an Arizona court.
Mr Crisafulli said news of the plea deal, where Day admitted to possessing guns as a felon, but charges relating to threats against US police were dropped, would “rock” the families of those killed and “hurt them immensely”.
In a statement, Rachel McCrow’s mother, Judy McCrow, said she was “disappointed” with the plea deal.
“He chose to continue correspondence with the Wieambilla murderers and continued to support and encourage them,” she wrote.
“His correspondence (with the killers) is self-incriminating.”
Queensland Police Union president Shane Prior agreed the news was “extremely disappointing”.
“This is not a good result and that criminal should spend the rest of his life behind bars,” he said.
Mr Prior said he had been in touch with the families of the police officers who were murdered and shared their “heartbreak”.
Day supported extremists
Court documents revealed Day, through online profile “Geronimo’s Bones”, had been in touch with Queenslanders Gareth and Stacey Train.
It started as a routine police call. By the end of the night, six people were dead
The pair, along with Gareth’s brother Nathaniel, killed two police officers who were responding to a missing persons’ report at the rural property in December 2022.
They also killed their neighbour, and left two other officers fighting for their lives, before they were killed in a shootout with specialist police.
Court documents detailed how Gareth and Stacey Train had posted an apocalyptic video on YouTube after the shootings where they said authorities “came to kills us and we killed them”.
“We’ll see you at home, Don. Love you,”
they said.
Alan Dare was also killed. (
ABC News: Cindy Wockner
)
Day responded that he wished “that I could be with you to do what I do best”.
In another post, he wrote his “brave brother and sister” had “done exactly what they were supposed to do, and that is to kill these f***ing devils”, documents stated.
Authorities in the US later charged Day with offences including threatening the director-general of the World Health Organization and police, and possession of weapons.
Warning signs at Donald Day’s Arizona property. (AAP: FBI & District Court of Arizona)
Plea deal
According to a deal filed in Arizona this week, authorities and Day agreed he would admit to possessing firearms and ammunition while a convicted felon.
Court documents stated Day admitted to storing the majority of the firearms at his Arizona property, in a “gun room”, while one was kept in a shed.
The deal stated Day pleaded guilty to having used the firearms and ammunition, and while he did not purchase all of the armaments, he admitted to possessing them.
Day had previously been convicted of multiple offences including violence against authorities, larceny and a prison assault.
Guns stored at Donald Day’s property. (AAP: FBI & District Court of Arizona)
Documents made public earlier this year stated that other remaining charges — two for threats and one for an unregistered firearm — would be dropped.
That included an allegation he had threatened Federal Bureau of Investigation officers when being arrested in December 2023.
He was accused of telling them: “If anything happens to my wife, and I ever get out of these cuffs, I’ll come for every f***ng one of you. How’s that? You better kill me, if you f*** my wife up, you hurt her in any way, you better kill me here and now.”
The plea deal included a stipulation Day’s sentence would not exceed the “low end” of the sentencing cap.
According to court documents, Day’s maximum punishment would be a $250,000 fine and, or, 15 years imprisonment.