Florida man stabs childhood friend to death for being pro-Trump, places American flag beside body
ORANGE COUNTY, FLORIDA: It again became evident how President Donald Trump has turned out to be a polarizing figure. On January 20, a 28-year-old Florida man was arrested for allegedly killing his superior at his workplace because the boss had a pro-Trump stand, ideologically. The accused had anti-Trump political inclinations.
According to the police in Orange County, Florida, the accused Mason Toney had a political argument with his boss William Knight, also 28, at a highway construction site. Enraged, Toney stabbed Knight to death with a trowel used for brick-laying. Toney then reportedly placed an American flag next to the body, the police added.
Toney was charged with first-degree murder for Knight’s murder, according to an arrest affidavit from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO).
Incidentally, January 30 also marked the third anniversary of Trump’s stay in office.
Interestingly, Toney and Knight were known to be childhood friends. They worked together at a construction site near Orlando along the Florida Turnpike. On the day of the incident, the two were seen to be arguing as they reached their worksite and the reason for the argument was possibly their clashing political viewpoints, said detective Fabian Ramirez in the affidavit. Both men were also known to be outspoken about their respective viewpoints, as per the affidavit.
People from the site called up the police and they arrived on the scene. The co-workers told the investigators that the two men were friends outside work despite their opinions clashing politically.
After the murder, Toney reportedly called the other workers at the site 'terrorists' before driving off in a white pick-up truck. He was arrested later.
Knight’s father told Orlando television news channel WESH that the two had been friends since they went to elementary school together and wondered why his son had to face such a tragic consequence.