A jury in Los Angeles County reached a verdict on Wednesday, convicting a man for orchestrating the murder of rapper PnB Rock by sending his 17-year-old son to carry out the act.
After approximately four hours of deliberation, the jury found Freddie Trone, 42, guilty 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 South Los Angeles in September 2022 and fatally shot the Philadelphia hip-hop artist while stealing his jewellery, as PnB Rock dined with the mother of his 4-year-old daughter.
The prosecution argued that the teen acted under his father’s direction, while the defence contended that Trone was merely an accessory after the fact. The now-19-year-old, who faces murder charges, is currently in the juvenile system, where a judge has determined he is not competent to stand trial.
The Associated Press generally refrains from naming minors involved in criminal cases. Additionally, another individual, Tremont Jones, was convicted on Wednesday of two counts of robbery and one count of conspiracy, though he was not charged with murder.
Jones’ attorney, David Haas, indicated plans to appeal, while Trone’s lawyer, Winston McKesson, announced intentions to file a motion for a new trial.
“There was no evidence produced that he conspired to commit murder,” McKesson told The Associated Press after the verdict. “There’s no evidence there was a conversation about murder, no evidence there was a conversation about a gun.”
He 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.”
PnB Rock, the Philadelphia rapper whose legal name is Rakim Allen, was best known for his 2016 hit “Selfish” and for guest appearances on other artists’ songs such as YFN Lucci’s “Everyday We Lit” and Ed Sheeran’s “Cross Me” with Chance the Rapper. He was 30.
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.”
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