Freddie Trone, the 42-year-old man accused of sending his then-17-year-old son to rob and kill Philadephia rapper PnB Rock, was convicted by a Los Angeles County jury on Wednesday. Per The Associated Press, Trone’s conviction came after the jury deliberated for about four hours.
The deceased rapper, born Rakim Hasheem Allen, was dining at Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles in South Los Angeles on September 12, 2022, when Trone’s son entered the establishment before shooting and robbing him of his jewelry. The Selfish rapper was in the company of the mother of his 4-year-old daughter when he was killed.
During the two-week trial, prosecutors alleged Trone sent his son to commit the crime, though the defense argued the 42-year-old was just an accessory after the fact. The jury found Trone guilty of one count of murder, two counts of robbery, and one count of conspiracy to commit robbery.
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Authorities also brought a murder charge against Trone’s son, who is currently 19 and is being held at a juvenile facility. A judge has also ruled the teen is not fit to stand trial. Besides Trone, another man identified as Tremont Jones was convicted of two counts of robbery and a count of conspiracy, The Associated Press reported. Authorities, however, did not bring a murder charge against Jones.
The lawyer for Jones said he intends to appeal while Trone’s attorney also said he plans to file a motion for a new trial. “There was no evidence produced that he conspired to commit murder,” Trone’s lawyer, Winston McKesson, told the news outlet after his conviction. “There’s no evidence there was a conversation about murder, no evidence there was a conversation about a gun.”
McKesson added: “There is no evidence he gave his son a gun, and no evidence he told him to shoot the guy. The only evidence the jury found is that he dropped him off and picked him up.”
Trone took the stand during the trial and claimed he was not involved in the rapper’s murder. “I never had nothing to do with it,” he testified on Monday. “I wasn’t there. I didn’t tell nobody to do nothing. I didn’t hand nobody no gun.”
He also admitted the fatal incident as “heinous” and described his son as “dangerous.” “But you send your 17-year-old son with knowledge of the problems he possesses to do this?” Deputy District Attorney Timothy Richardson said in reference to the two words that Trone used.
And though Trone was spotted at the restaurant‘s parking lot 30 minutes before his son entered the establishment to rob and kill the rapper, he told the court that he was there for a different purpose – which was to garner interest for his beauty shop. He claimed his store was around that area.
