The trial surrounding the rapper’s death comes to an end with a guilty verdict.
A jury convicted a man on all counts relating to the 2022 murder of PnB Rock, who was eating lunch with his girlfriend.
Freddie Trone, a 42-year-old man, was charged with sending his armed 17-year-old son into a Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles to rob the rapper, which ultimately resulted in his death. Trone not only orchestrated the deadly robbery, he also acted as his son’s getaway driver. He was later found guilty of felony murder, two counts of robbery and one count of conspiracy
Tremont Jones, Trone’s co-defendant, was found guilty of two counts of robbery and one count of conspiracy. Jones allegedly told Trone about PnB Rock, real name Rakin Allen, entering Roscoe’s with his fiance and wearing $500K worth of jewelry.
Allen’s mom, Deannea Allen, spoke with Rolling Stone after the verdict. Not only did she want to jump up and scream in celebration, she was happy about the quickness of the deliberation and verdict reading.
“We got justice for Rakim. I feel better knowing they’ll be in jail for a long time,” she told Rolling Stone.
The jury focused on the surveillance video of the Buick Enclave that delivered the alleged teen shooter to the scene, according to the jury foreperson. Trone testified that he was not in the car at that point. The jury proceeded to zoom in on the vehicle fleeing from the scene, and they were able to identify Trone based on his clothing.
During closing arguments, Deputy District Attorney Timothy Richardson said Trone knew his son was “dangerous” when he plotted the robbery. Trone’s defense lawyer, Winston McKesson, argued that Trone was at Roscoe’s minutes before the shooting to promote his beauty supply shop and buy marijuana. McKesson said Trone’s son took his car keys from the beauty supply shop and later arrived at the restaurant without his knowledge.
A six-minute timespan in which Trone left the restaurant’s parking lot and his Buick Enclave was seen returning to the restaurant was a major focus of the trial. Richardson argued that during those six minutes, Trone armed his son with a semi-automatic gun, a ski mask, and a robbery plot.
McKesson wanted jurors to look at the surveillance footage and question the prosecution's version of events. The surveillance footage shows Trone’s son entering and exiting the restaurant and heading to the backseat door before circling around to the backseat door on the driver’s side. McKesson sees this as proof to more people in the car, but the jury rejected this argument.
Richardson notes that six minutes weren’t enough for Trone’s version of events. He argued that the surveillance footage shows where the vehicle went, noting that a round trip to Trone’s shop would have been impossible.
As for Trone’s son, he was charged with murder and currently sits in a juvenile center as a judge determined he is not competent to be put on trial. The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office noted that he will undergo “mental competency proceedings” on August 28.
Two weeks after the fatal robbery went wrong, Trone fled to Las Vegas alongside his wife Shauntel and his son. The trio was charged two weeks after the shooting, with Shauntel later pleading no contest to accessory. Her sentencing will come in January 2025, with Trone and Jones’ sentencing scheduled for August 27.
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