A Florida man who was charged with the murder of his childhood friend and boss, allegedly after a fight about politics , was found not guilty by reason of insanity.
Court records obtained by local CBS affiliate WKMG show that Mason Trever Toney, 34, was found not guilty by reason of insanity on February 7, five years after being accused of stabbing William Steven Knight, 28, with a trowel off the Florida Turnpike.
On January 20, 2020, Knight died from his injuries at the scene, and Toney was arrested that same day. Knight was not only Toney’s boss; the two men had been friends for decades.
According to court documents, witnesses claimed that the two men had argued about politics, including Knight’s support for President Donald Trump.
WESH, a local NBC affiliate, covered the arrest affidavit at the time. Officers arrived at the scene and discovered Knight’s body next to an excavator, with an American flag thrown nearby.
Witnesses told investigators that Knight, a “proud and outspoken American” who was “pro-Donald Trump,” picked up Toney to take her to another location when a political argument broke out.
Witnesses described Toney as anti-government, claiming that “the government is bad and out to get him.”
Witnesses said they heard Knight yell for help and ran to help him. The witnesses went on to say that they attempted to stop Toney, but he was holding what they believed to be a knife.
It was later revealed that the defendant allegedly used a trowel, a construction tool used to smooth concrete, in the slaying. The witnesses claimed that Toney was carrying a backpack, which was unusual.
According to the affidavit, Toney allegedly called the witnesses “terrorists” before jumping into a truck and attacking Knight, who died from his injuries at the scene. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office reported that Toney was discovered in Brevard County later that day in the same truck.
Following Knight’s death, his mother told WKMG, “This wasn’t about politics. There was something wrong with Mason. According to the outlet, she warned her son not to hire Toney due to his erratic behavior.
Toney was found not guilty due to insanity after a non-jury trial. A review hearing was scheduled for August 11.
