A man who sent his 17-year-old son to rob and kill rapper PnB Rock was sentenced to 31 years to life in prison Monday.
Freddie Trone, 42, was convicted 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 nothing to do with it. I wasn’t there. I didn’t tell nobody to do nothing. I didn’t hand nobody no 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” in jewelry. Possibly as the 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.
Trone sent his 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, then twice in the back — then threatened his fiancee.
Trone’s son, who is now 19, was charged with murder as a juvenile. A judge found 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 parent, I do not understand — and I’ve been trying these two whole years — I do not understand how a parent could directly put their child in danger. I just can’t comprehend it. That one action had a ripple effect, and it has ruined many lives,” she said during her witness impact statement.
“Rakim was the shining light in our family. He was a star to us. … We are devastated,” she said.
