Civil Lawsuit Filed Against Guthrie Businessman Accused Of Murdering Employee

The family of a man allegedly murdered by a Guthrie businessman has filed a civil lawsuit this week in Logan County District Court. 

Brent Mack’s daughter, Mack’s next of kin, filed a wrongful death lawsuit Tuesday. 

Daniel Triplett, 66, is accused of shooting Mack in the back and burying him underneath a septic tank. 

Mack was working for Triplett at the time. The two were installing a septic tank at a property in rural Logan County. 

Triplett owns a backhoe company, which is also named in the lawsuit. 

Mack was reported missing in September. 

Triplett lied to investigators, stating he fired Mack and left him outside a Guthrie laundromat. Surveillance cameras captured Triplett's truck driving by the laundromat, however the truck 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. 

For family, talking about Mack’s death isn’t getting any easier. 

“It gets harder day by day because I am having to relive this situation day in and day out,” said Mack’s son, Terrell Mack. “It is very difficult.” 

The civil lawsuit claims Triplett’s actions were “intentional, grossly negligent, willful, deliberate and in reckless regard to the rights for others.” 

The family is seeking punitive damages in excess of $10,000. 

“The murderer himself is not saying why he did this,” said Mack. “He is not giving us any kind of explanation as to what actually happened. The only thing we have is video surveillance.” 

“You took a life, a very important life may he realize that or not,” said Mack. “My dad’s life was very important; he touched a lot of people while he was on this earth.” 

With Triplett bonded out of jail, set by a judge at $500,000, Mack’s family is more eager than ever for accountability. 

“I will not rest until we get justice for what has happened to him because nobody deserves that,” said Mack. “He treated my father less than anything.” 

Triplett, a former Guthrie councilman, is due back in court in late January on charges of murder and desecration of a human corpse. 

No court dates have been set yet regarding the civil lawsuit.