Court Documents Shed New Light On Guthrie Man's Death

Investigators said a man was led to his death by his boss. They found his body under a septic tank in Logan County.

Newly released court documents detail how the man was killed.

Daniel Triplett is a Guthrie business owner who residents said is well-known and respected.

For them, it's hard to believe one of their own is accused of murder. Daniel Triplett is accused of killing Brent Mack on September 20.

“This is a small town. Everybody knows everybody,” said Guthrie resident Claire Sharp.     

“It's just a sad thing in this day and time that someone would do something like that,” said Ruth Wooten, the victim’s cousin .

Mack was reported missing in September. Thirty days later, his body was exhumed from a makeshift grave on a rural property in Mulhall.

“It's devastating all the way around, it's still not real,” said Sharp.

Investigators said Mack worked for Triplett's septic tank installation business.

“My dad saw all of Dan’s sides; the good, the bad, the ugly,” said Raychelle Wilson, the victim’s daughter.

When questioned by investigators about Mack's whereabouts, court records showed Triplett lied and claimed he fired the victim "because of his violent demeanor."

He said after giving Mack "$1,000 as severance pay," he dropped him off outside of a Guthrie laundromat.

While surveillance cameras captured Triplett's truck driving by, it never stopped.

Days later, Mack's belongings were discovered across the street behind a small fence.

Investigators would later find additional surveillance video showing Triplett and Mack working to install a septic tank. After the two climbed in the hole, investigators said Mack never emerged.

Investigators said Triplett shot him in the back, used a backhoe to bury him and evidence collected from his home connected him to the crime.

“It doesn’t seem real, especially in a little town like this that something could make you that mad that would make you want to do something,” said Wooten.

Triplett's wife told News 9 there is much more to the story, but she's been advised not to talk to the media.