A California father has been found guilty of the 2022 murder of PnB Rock after instructing his then-17-year-old son to rob and kill the rapper while he was eating lunch with his girlfriend. PnB Rock, born Rakim Allen, was 30 years old.
According to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office and the Associated Press, Freddie Trone, 42, was found guilty of one crime of murder, two counts of robbery, and one count of conspiracy to commit robbery after a two-week trial and four hours of deliberation.
During the trial, prosecutors alleged that Trone led his teenage son inside Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles in South Los Angeles to perform the crime and then functioned as an accessory afterward, according to the AP. Trone’s son has not been officially identified due to his age at the time of the murder.
Trone was observed in the parking lot 30 minutes before Allen was murdered, according to CCTV footage. Tremont Jones was also present, and he offered Allen a fist bump on tape. According to the Associated Press, at the time, the “Selfish” rapper was wearing pricey jewelry on his wrist.
Jones is accused of notifying Trone about the rapper’s presence and the fancy items he was wearing. He was convicted of two counts of robbery and one count of conspiracy in connection with the death of the Philadelphia native. His attorney, David Haas, has stated that he will appeal, according to the Associated Press.
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Trone admitted on the witness stand that he was in the parking lot looking for customers for his adjacent beauty store. However, he denied any involvement in the killing. Instead, he acknowledged that the murder was “heinous” and called his kid “dangerous,” according to the source.
Trone’s son, now 19, has been charged with murder. However, he remains in a juvenile detention center, and a court has concluded that he is incompetent to stand trial, according to the Associated Press. The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office stated that a youngster will face “mental competency proceedings” on August 28.
On September 12, 2022, Allen was enjoying lunch with his girlfriend Stephanie Sibounheuang, with whom he has a 4-year-old daughter when they were approached by someone who “demanded” Allen hand over his jewels. He later shot Allen numerous times and stole some of his stuff.
Trone, his wife, Shauntel Trone, and their kid were accused about two weeks later after escaping to Las Vegas. It’s unclear what part Shauntel played in the heist and murder. She pleaded no contest to accessory after the fact in July and is scheduled to be sentenced on January 16, 2025.
Trone and Jones are set to be sentenced on August 27.
“Today, justice has been served for Mr. Allen and his family, who have endured unimaginable pain after losing a loved one to such senseless violence,” Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón stated. “We send our heartfelt condolences to them and the entire community.
Thank you to my office’s Community Violence Reduction Division for their steadfast dedication to pursuing justice for Mr. Allen and holding Mr. Trone and Mr. Jones accountable for their conduct. Let this be a clear message to anyone threatening our community’s safety and well-being: our office will persistently pursue charges and work diligently to bring violators to justice.”