Amid the murder trial of rapper PnB Rock on Wednesday, a jury found Freddie Trone, a Los Angeles man, guilty of orchestrating the murder of the rapper by sending his 17-year-old son to commit the crime.
PnB Rock, 30, whose legal name is Rakim Hasheem Allen, was shot at Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles in South Los Angeles in September 2022 as he was robbed of his jewelry, then rushed to the hospital and pronounced dead shortly after.
During the two-week-long trial, more details were revealed about what led the teen assailant to rob the Philadelphia-based rapper and kill him.
According to the Associated Press, the prosecution said the teen was acting on his father’s orders, while the defense said Trone was only an accessory after the fact.
On Wednesday, the jury sided with the prosecution as the verdict, delivered after just four hours of deliberation, convicted Trone, 42, of one count of murder, two counts of robbery, and one count of conspiracy to commit robbery. Trone has denied having any part in the killing of Allen.
Newsweek has reached out to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office via email for comment.
Additionally, another man, Tremont Jones, was found guilty of two counts of robbery and one count of conspiracy. Unlike Trone, Jones was not charged with murder, and his lawyer, David Haas, has announced plans to appeal the conviction, the AP reported.
Jones’ involvement stems from a surveillance image of him 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.
During the trial, Trone’s defense took the rare step of putting him on the stand to testify in his defense. While Trone continued to deny any involvement in the crime, he acknowledged on the stand that the crimes were “heinous” and that his son was “dangerous,” the AP reported.
“I never had nothing to do with it,” Trone said. “I wasn’t there. I didn’t tell nobody to do nothing. I didn’t hand nobody no gun.”
Trone’s testimony came as surveillance footage showed him in the restaurant parking lot shortly before the murder, which he claimed was for business purposes related to his nearby beauty shop.
However, Deputy District Attorney Timothy Richardson pointed out Trone’s “reckless indifference to human life,” arguing that sending his troubled son to commit such a heinous act made him equally responsible.
Meanwhile, Trone’s son, now 19, faces his own legal battles. Though charged with murder, he is currently under juvenile custody and has been deemed incompetent to stand trial.
PnB Rock was a rising star in the music world, known for his 2016 hit “Selfish” and collaborations with artists like YFN Lucci and Ed Sheeran. His untimely death at the age of 30 sent shockwaves through the industry and his fanbase.
