A man who sent his 17-year-old son to rob and kill rapper PnB Rock was sentenced Monday to 31 years to life in prison.
Freddie Trone, 42, was found guilty of murder, robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery on Aug. 7 in Los Angeles County Superior Court. He was the defense’s only witness and said, “I never had anything to do with it. I wasn’t there. I didn’t tell anybody not to do anything. I didn’t give anybody a gun.”
The defense plans to appeal, the Associated Press reported.
PnB Rock, whose legal name was Rakim Allen, walked into Roscoe's House of Chicken & Waffles in South Los Angeles in September 2022 wearing “several hundred thousand dollars' worth of jewelry.” Possibly as a result of an Instagram post from his fiancée geolocating them at the restaurant, Trone and another defendant, Tremont Jones, prosecutors said.
Freddie Trone's lawyers are reportedly planning to appeal.
(Los Angeles Police Department)
Trone sent his 17-year-old son to the restaurant with a gun and a ski mask to steal Allen's jewelry. When the rapper refused, the teen shot him three times (once in the chest and twice in the back) and then threatened his fiancée.
Trone's son, now 19, was charged with murder as a juvenile. A judge ruled he was not competent to stand trial, AP reported.
Allen’s mother, Deannea, traveled from Philadelphia to attend the hearing, according to Rolling Stone. “As a mother, I don’t understand — and I’ve been trying for two years — I don’t understand how a father could directly endanger his son. I can’t comprehend it. That action had a domino effect and ruined so many lives,” she said during her witness statement.
“Rakim was the shining light of our family. He was a star to us… We are devastated,” she said.
