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Background: News footage from the scene of William Steven Knight’s stabbing death in January 2020 (WKMG). Inset (left): Mason Toney (Orange County Sheriff’s Office). Inset (right): William Steven Knight (provided by family).
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 stated that Mason Trever Toney, 34, was found not guilty by reason of insanity on Feb. 7, five years after he was accused of stabbing William Steven Knight, 28, with a trowel off the Florida Turnpike. Knight died of his injuries at the scene on Jan. 20, 2020, and Toney was arrested the same day. Knight was not only Toney’s boss, but the two men had also been friends for decades.
According to court documents, witnesses stated at the time that the two men had reportedly argued about politics, including Knight’s support for President Donald Trump.
WESH, a local NBC affiliate, reported on the arrest affidavit at the time. When officers arrived at the scene, they found Knight’s body next to an excavator, an American flag thrown nearby. Witnesses told investigators that Knight, a “proud and outspoken American” who was “pro-Donald Trump,” picked up Toney to go to another site when an argument about politics erupted. Toney was described by the witnesses as anti-government, and reportedly believed “the government is bad and out to get him.”
The witnesses said they heard Knight yelling for help and then ran to aid him. The witnesses went on to say they had tried to stop Toney, but he was wielding what they believed was a knife. It was later clarified the defendant had allegedly used a trowel — a construction tool used to smooth concrete — in the slaying. The witnesses told investigators that Toney allegedly had a backpack with him, which was unusual.
According to the affidavit, Toney reportedly called the witnesses “terrorists” then jumped into a truck after allegedly attacking Knight, who died from his injuries at the scene. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office reported that Toney was found in Brevard County later the same day in the same truck.
Knight’s mother told WKMG after her son’s death, “This wasn’t about politics. There was something wrong with Mason.” The outlet reported that she had warned her son not to hire Toney because of his erratic behavior.
Toney was found not guilty by reason of insanity following a non-jury trial. A review hearing was scheduled for Aug. 11.
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