Arizona man requests no police testimony in upcoming trial

An American man, Donald Day Jr., is facing trial in the U.S. for his alleged connection to a tragic shooting in Australia. This incident occurred on December 12, 2022, when Constables Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow were killed by members of the Train family, who held extremist beliefs. Day, 60, reportedly communicated with the Train family before the attack. He was arrested in December 2023 and has been charged with making threats and illegal firearm possession. Although he has pleaded not guilty, his case is drawing significant attention due to its ties to the violent crime in Australia. His lawyer has made a request to exclude testimony from Queensland police in the trial. They argue that presenting this evidence would be unfair and not directly related to Day's actions. Instead, they propose using a simple statement of facts to provide necessary context. The shooting incident involved not only the police officers but also their neighbor, Alan Dare, who was killed shortly after Arnold and McCrow. All three Train family members involved in the shootout were killed by police hours later. Day's trial is set to begin in late April. His defense claims the prosecution is trying to unfairly link him to the shootings despite the fact that the actual suspects are deceased. The case highlights ongoing concerns about the influence of extremist ideologies and the implications for free speech.