ORLANDO, Fla. — A Florida man accused of stabbing his childhood friend and boss to death after a political argument was found not guilty by reason of insanity, according to court records.
Mason Trever Toney, 34, was acquitted on Feb. 7, five years after being charged with the murder of 28-year-old William Steven Knight. Authorities said Toney stabbed Knight with a trowel on Jan. 20, 2020, off the Florida Turnpike.
Knight died at the scene, and Toney was arrested the same day.
The two men had been friends for decades, and witnesses reported that the fatal altercation began as an argument about politics. Court documents stated that Knight supported then-President Donald Trump, while Toney was described as anti-government.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by NBC affiliate WESH, officers found Knight’s body near an excavator with an American flag discarded nearby.
A Florida man was acquitted of murder after a court ruled he was insane when he fatally stabbed his friend following a political dispute.