On Wednesday (Aug. 7), Freddie Trone, the father of the then 17-year-old who shot and killed PnB Rock in 2022, was found guilty of one count of murder, two counts of robbery and one count of conspiracy to commit robbery. Jury deliberation took nearly four hours before they returned with a guilty verdict.
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Rock, born Rakim Hasheem Allen, was killed while eating with his family when the 17-year-old walked into Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles in South Los Angeles and attempted to rob him of his jewelry. The son of Trone, now 19 years old, was charged with murder but was later deemed not competent to stand trial. He’s currently in custody of the juvenile system.
As for the father, Freddie Trone, he vehemently denied his involvement during the trial. While on the stand, Trone said he never encouraged his son to rob and kill Rock. “I never had nothing to do with it,” Trone said Monday while testifying. “I wasn’t there. I didn’t tell nobody to do nothing. I didn’t hand nobody no gun.” Later on the stand, Trone labeled the crimes as “heinous” and his son “dangerous.”
Video footage caught Trone inside the parking lot 30 minutes before the murder. He revealed during his testimony that he was only in the vicinity because he was looking to get business for his local shop.
Another man involved in the incident, Tremont Jones, wasn’t charged with murder but was found guilty of two counts of robbery and one count of conspiracy. The lawyer for Jones, David Haas, says he plans to appeal.
“There was no evidence produced that he conspired to commit murder,” Trone’s lawyer, Winston McKesson, told The Associated Press following the verdict. “There’s no evidence there was a conversation about murder, no evidence there was a conversation about a gun.”
McKesson further stated, “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.” He plans to file a motion for a new trial, indicating that the legal proceedings are far from over.
