Bond for Oklahoma businessman charged with murder after he allegedly killed and later buried his employee under a septic tank has been revoked. The white man’s temporary freedom was rescinded following a trip to several establishments he was ordered to stay away from under the terms of his release.
Daniel Triplett had been on out on a $500,000 bond last December 2021 following the incident that was believed to have taken place three months before when Triplett’s employee Brent Mack went missing in Mulhall, Oklahoma, KOCO News 5 reported.
Triplett landed himself back in to jail following Logan County Judge Susan Worthington’s ruling on Friday, Jan. 14, after prosecutors said Triplett was going places he was not allowed to go, including the bank, a restaurant, and a gas station.
According to the conditions of Triplett’s bond, the businessman was required to wear an ankle monitor and leave his home for visits with his lawyer, medical appointments, or court dates. District Attorney Laura Thomas said a bank teller who knew Triplett had been arrested on murder charges told authorities Triplett was spotted in the bank’s drive-thru.
Search for the 50-year-old Black man began after his daughter Raychelle Wilson reached out to Triplett on Facebook Messenger regarding her father’s whereabouts.
However, inconsistencies in Triplett’s story about when he last saw Mack drew cause for concern.
Triplett initially told authorities that Mack was dropped off in Guthrie, Oklahoma, outside of a laundromat, after firing him for his alleged “violent demeanor.” However, officers found several factors that contradicted his story during their investigation. The video showed Triplett driving through Guthrie but never stopping to drop Mack off like he said he did.
Also, receipts in Triplett’s home showed that his last job with Mack was on Sept. 20 at a home in Mulhall. Surveillance footage taken from the residence and statements from the homeowners confirmed that both men were together before Mack’s disappearance. After working on the septic tank, only Triplett was seen leaving the property.
Damario Solomon-Simmons, a civil rights attorney representing Mack’s family, said in a statement to The Associated Press that he believes Triplett’s bond was granted in part due to his race and status in his community as a well-respected business owner accused of killing a Black man.
“If Brent Mack had killed Dan Triplett, shot him in the back and buried him underneath a septic tank, and then lied about it to his family for over a month, do you believe Brent Mack would get bond?” Solomon-Simmons asked. “What other answer can you point to? I think the fact that he was (a) prominent white businessman who killed an African-American man played into the decision.”
Thomas said she’s pleased Triplett is back where he belongs. “We had strenuously objected when the judge set (bond) and were stunned she did,” she said. We are relieved that this first-degree murder defendant is back where he should be and the family is also.”
Triplett faces charges of first-degree murder and desecration of a corpse.
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