A man who sent his 17-year-old son to rob and kill rapper PnB Rock was sentenced to 31 years in prison Monday.
Freddie Trone, 42, was sentenced Aug. 7 of murder, robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery in Los Angeles County Superior Court. He was the defense’s only witness, claiming he “never had anything to do with it. I wasn’t there. I didn’t tell anybody to do anything. I didn’t hand 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 fiancee geotagging them at the restaurant, he was targeted by Trone and another defendant, Tremont Jones, prosecutors alleged.
Lawyers for Freddie Trone reportedly plan to appeal.
(Los Angeles Police Department)
Trone sent her 17-year-old son into the restaurant with a gun and ski mask to steal Allen’s jewelry. When the rapper refused, the teenager shot him three times – once in the chest and then twice in the back – and then threatened his fiancee.
Trone’s son, who is now 19 years old, was charged with murder as a youth. A judge found him incompetent to stand trial, the AP reported.
Allen’s mother, Deannea, traveled from Philadelphia to attend the hearing, according to Rolling Stone. “As a parent, I don’t understand – and I’ve tried this for two whole years – I don’t understand how a parent can directly put their child in danger. I just can’t understand it. That one act had a ripple effect and it’s ruined a lot of lives , she said during her testimony.
“Rakim was the shining light of our family. He was a star to us. … We are devastated,” she said.