PnB Rock murder trial: Jury finds man guilty of sending teen son to rob, kill rapper

COMPTON, Calif. - A 42-year-old man was convicted Wednesday in the robbery and shooting death of rapper PnB Rock at a South Los Angeles restaurant two years ago.

After less than three hours of deliberations, the Compton jury found Freddie Trone guilty of one count each of felony murder and conspiracy to commit robbery, along with two counts of second-degree robbery involving the 30-year-old rapper and his fiancé.

Also convicted Wednesday was co-defendant Tremont Jones, 46, who was found guilty of two counts of second-degree robbery and one count of conspiracy to commit robbery. He was not charged with murder.

The defendants were charged along with Trone's then-17-year-old son. His case is currently in juvenile court while he undergoes treatment to determine if he can be found mentally competent to stand trial.

A third defendant, Shauntel Trone pleaded no contest to accessory after the fact on July 16, 2024. She is scheduled to be sentenced on January 16, 2025.

PnB Rock, whose real name is Rakim Allen, was shot once in the chest and two times in the back by an assailant in a ski mask who demanded his jewelry and threatened to kill the rapper's girlfriend while the two were eating lunch on Sept. 12, 2022, at Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles on West Manchester Avenue.

"Today, justice has been served for Mr. Allen and his family who have endured unimaginable pain losing a loved one to such senseless violence," District Attorney Gascón said.

Deputy District Attorney Timothy Richardson told the jury that Trone "sent his son out on a coordinated act to rob watches, rings and chains off of a person," while defense attorney Winston McKesson countered that Trone's teenage son acted independently from his dad and that the "only conclusion that is consistent with justice is that Freddie Trone is not guilty of these charges."

The prosecutor told jurors that the motive for the crime was "about a half a million dollars worth of jewelry," arguing that Trone drove his son to and from the restaurant but never set foot inside the business himself while the rapper was there.

The prosecution stated that Jones fist-bumped the rapper at the restaurant and then passed information on to Trone about what jewelry the entertainer was wearing.

Richardson noted "how difficult it is to accept that a father would put his son up to this."

The prosecutor told jurors that Trone, his son and Jones had "coordinated actions" that were "not a coincidence."

Trone vigorously proclaimed his innocence from the witness stand, telling jurors, "I wasn't there. I didn't tell nobody to do nothing."

Trone testified that his son and his own vehicle went missing, and that he subsequently found his son in the vehicle with three other "youngsters."

Trone's attorney said there was "no evidence of a conspiracy" to rob the rapper and accused investigators of making up their minds about "who they thought was guilty" and "looking only for evidence that pointed to guilt" while ignoring anything that pointed to his client's innocence.

"You have no evidence that my client planned anything," McKesson said, telling jurors that the prosecution's goal was to get them to "dislike" Trone.

The defense attorney told reporters outside court that he believes his client wouldn't have been charged with murder had he not lived in the area and been African-American, saying that he would have been charged with being an accessory after the fact if it had happened in Beverly Hills.

On Wednesday after the verdict, McKesson told City News Service that he was "disappointed" with the trial's outcome.

"I think the problem is whenever you have a Black man charged in a violent crime and no African Americans on the jury, it is a major problem," he said. "Because all non-Black people -- no matter what their race -- view Black men as dangerous."

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The attorney said he would appeal on behalf of Trone.

"I believe we challenged every aspect of the case," McKesson said outside court.

"I do not think this jury cared. I think they ignored all the evidence that pointed toward innocence and rolled with all the evidence that pointed towards guilt. I believe they decided early how they would vote."

The defense attorney said that when the panel returned with a verdict after deliberating for just 90 minutes Wednesday, "I knew they didn't even listen to my argument or my client's testimony."

Before the verdict, Jones' attorney called the case "so thin," saying that the idea that his client was aiding and abetting the crime "doesn't hold."

Sentencing for both defendants was set for Aug. 27 in the Compton courthouse.

Trone's son was arrested in September 2022, and his father was subsequently arrested in Las Vegas and returned to Los Angeles County in October 2022, while Jones was taken into custody in May 2023, according to jail records.

PnB Rock, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, gained initial recognition for his 2016 single, "Selfish," which sold more than two million copies.