Plea changed in infant murder case

"No contest."

Those were the words out of Jacob Triplett's mouth when he responded to the six felony charges District Court Judge Nena James read to him during a change of plea hearing Friday morning.

Triplett faced charges related to the 2014 death of his infant daughter, Susan Triplett, as well as instances of child abuse involving his other children. Initially, he was charged with first-degree murder, as well as two counts of aggravated child abuse and three counts of child abuse. The first-degree murder charge was lessened to second-degree murder as part of a partial plea agreement offered by the Sweetwater County Attorney's office.

Second-degree murder differs from first-degree murder in that while a death is the result of a person's actions, the actions leading to that death were not premeditated or planned specifically to cause death. The penalty for second-degree is lesser as well, with the possible sentence being 20 years to life in prison, as opposed to a life sentence or possibly the death penalty. The county attorney's office was not seeking the death penalty in this case.

The change of plea hearing was a last-minute opportunity for Triplett to avoid trial, which was scheduled to start Monday.

While not admitting guilt, the plea means Triplett doesn't contest the charges against him. The no contest plea saved Triplett from answering questions from Judge James about the circumstances that brought about Susan's death, something he would have been required to do under oath if he plead guilty.

While he was able to avoid questioning from James, the penalties associated with the various charges remain intact. Sentencing did not take place Friday, but Triplett faces a maximum of life plus 85 years in prison for all six charges, as well as fines totaling $60,000. Judge James said a sentencing hearing would take place after the pre-sentence investigation is completed, a process she said would take one or two months.

Sentencing for Amanda Triplett, Jabob's wife, has also not taken place yet. Amanda also entered no contest pleas to second-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and two counts of child abuse at a hearing Aug. 27, 2015.