Man Convicted of Sending His 17-Year-Old Son to Murder Rapper PnB Rock
A California jury found a man guilty on Wednesday, August 7, of orchestrating the murder of Philadelphia rapper PnB Rock by sending his 17-year-old son to carry out the crime in South Los Angeles.
After approximately four hours of deliberation, the jury convicted Freddie Trone, 42, on multiple charges, including one count of murder, two counts of robbery, and one count of conspiracy to commit robbery.
During the two-week trial, it was established that the teenager entered Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles in September 2022, where he shot the hip-hop star while attempting to steal his jewelry as PnB Rock dined with the mother of his four-year-old daughter.
The prosecution argued that the teen acted under his father’s orders, while the defense contended that Trone was merely an accessory after the fact.
The now 19-year-old, who faces murder charges, is currently in the custody of the juvenile system, with a judge determining that he is not competent to stand trial at this time.
In a related development, another individual, Tremont Jones, was also found guilty on the same day, August 7, of two counts of robbery and one count of conspiracy. However, he was not charged with murder. David Haas, Jones’ attorney, announced plans to appeal the verdict.
PnB Rock, whose legal name was Rakim Allen, gained fame for his 2016 hit “Selfish” and for collaborations with other artists, including YFN Lucci’s “Everyday We Lit” and Ed Sheeran’s “Cross Me” alongside Chance the Rapper. He was just 30 years old at the time of his death.
The defense made the rare and risky move of putting Trone on the stand, where he vehemently denied any part in prompting the killing.
“I never had nothing to do with it,” Trone testified Monday. “I wasn’t there. I didn’t tell nobody to do nothing. I didn’t hand nobody no gun.”
Trone acknowledged on the stand that the crimes were “heinous” and that his son was “dangerous.”
During his closing argument, Deputy District Attorney Timothy Richardson seized on both, saying, “But you send your 17-year-old son with knowledge of the problems he possesses to do this?”
Richardson emphasized to jurors that a non-shooter can be guilty of felony murder when they are a “major participant” who acted with “reckless indifference to human life.”
The video showed Trone in the parking lot of the restaurant about 30 minutes before the killing. Trone testified that he had reason to be there because he was drumming up business for his nearby beauty shop.
Richardson showed a surveillance image of Jones fist-bumping Allen, whose arm had valuable pieces of jewelry on it. Prosecutors said Jones then tipped Trone off to the rapper’s presence, and his jewelry.
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