John Trent

John Trent, known as Sheppard, is a former Belltower operative turned illegal arms dealer.

Biography
Prior to 2027, Trent was employed as a strike team member for Belltower Associates. After Belltower's scandal concerning Rifleman Bank Station broke out, Trent and his crew left Belltower to train terrorists and deal in illegal arms and augmentations. Trent is described by Miller as being ruthless with a disregard for civilian casualties.

Sometime in 2028, the Illuminati is utilizing Trent and his group to smuggle military-grade augmentations manufactured by Sarif Industries out of Detroit, the augmentations being relevant to certain unspecified Illuminati activities in Europe. Although Trent and his group are being utilized by the Illuminati, a member of Trent's group remarks that they are "more like independent contractors." At a Detroit airport, Interpol's Task Force 29 intercepts Trent and his group in the process of shipping the augmentations out of Detroit using a cargo jet. As the cargo jet is taking off, Adam Jensen, who had recently been taken into the custody of the Task Force 29 and was brought to the operation as an observer, succeeds in releasing the plane's cargo module, causing the augmentations to be dropped from the plane. The cargo jet, with Trent on board, flees for the Canadian border. Due to Trent's failure to extract the augmentations out of Detroit, and a failed subsequent attempt by the Illuminati to recover the augmentations, the Illuminati are forced to look to other suppliers.

In 2029, Trent heads to Dubai to sell high grade augmentations and weapons to the Jinn cartel, but is killed in an ambush by gold-mask mercenaries.