The Ultimate Sacrifice

A year after the Wieambilla shootings, on the other side of the world, FBI agents swarmed a petrol station in a remote Arizona town, making a dramatic arrest and revealing the man behind the name “Don”. 

Donald Day Jr. is now heading to trial on five federal charges and the evidence against him has been laid bare in new court documents; disturbing videos praising the Trains, online comments boasting about being “an x-con, who’s armed to the teeth”, and the cache of guns found at his home. 

In this episode, U.S Correspondent Jonathan Kearsley breaks down the evidence and how rejected plea deals, and attempts to throw out the charges, have drawn out this case.

Heartache and disappointment consumed the coronial inquest on its final day. The mothers of Rachel McCrow and Matthew Arnold deliver emotional statements, sharing the many “what ifs” that still haunt them from that day, and the critical questions that remain unanswered.

In this episode, new details come to light around radio blackspots, body worn cameras, the Arnold family’s agonising five-hour wait for answers, and Rachel McCrow’s final message. And as Internal Investigations hone in on opportunities for improvement, the families are demanding more be done; fighting for Matt and Rachel’s legacy to be one of change, so their sacrifice will protect others.

Ominous final emails sent by Gareth Train never made it into the hands of Queensland police. 

Why were those four young constables sent to that property, into that ambush, without all the information? Would it have even made a difference?

This episode takes us back to the start, unravelling the missing persons report that set this whole series of tragic events in motion. 

More than a dozen New South Wales and Queensland police officers are called into the witness box; every conversation, phone call and email scrutinised.

Was the Wieambilla attack an act of terrorism?

An expert in political and religious extremism dissects the evidence to address this question. He breaks down Gareth, Stacey & Nathaniel’s radicalisation into five phases, highlighting their dramatic shift through the pandemic along with the part Donald Day Jr played in the rapid escalation of the Train’s extremist religious beliefs.

The Coronial Inquest hears about prison letters, more Youtube videos and cryptic diary entries, and the actions the Train’s took to “bunker down” believing they were nearing their “time in battle”.

Gareth, Stacey and Nathanial Train had descended into a world of paranoia and conspiracy, experiencing a shared psychotic disorder; Folie à troix, “madness of three”.

This is the assessment of one of Australia’s leading forensic psychiatrists who, after dissecting their upbringing, communications and relationships, has delivered a deep and comprehensive analysis of the Train’s mental state, concluding they were experiencing “identical persecutory and religious beliefs and delusions”. 

In this episode we hear how Gareth's diagnosis may stem all the way back to birth, how this delusional disorder evolved and how he was able to transfer his delusions to his wife and brother, as he revealed his 'Grand Opus' - ultimately leading them to believe the police were devils, and that they must fight to the death to reach religious salvation.