A man was found guilty on Wednesday of sending his 17-year-old son into Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles in South Los Angeles to rob and kill rapper PnB Rock.
A Los Angeles County jury took less than four hours of deliberation and found Freddie Trone, 42, guilty of one count of murder, two counts of robbery and one count of conspiracy to commit robbery, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and The Associated Press.
During the two-week trial, both parties agreed that the teen entered the South Los Angeles restaurant on Sept. 12, 2022, shot the 30-year-old Philly rapper, born Rakim Allen, and stole his jewelry as he ate with Stephanie Sibounheuang, the mother of his 4-year-old daughter.
Blavity reported that she had taken a photo of her food and shared it to her Instagram story, mentioning that she and Allen were dining at Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles. Shortly after, the rapper was gunned down inside the popular eatery.
Prosecutors argued that Trone had deliberately told his son to carry out the deadly robbery, but the defense pushed back against their claim. They said the father had nothing to do with the crime, and that he only served as an accessory after the fact, per AP.
Trone’s son has not been named since he is a minor involved in a crime. However, the now-19-year-old is charged with murder but is in the custody of the juvenile system, and the presiding judge found him incompetent to stand trial.
A second man, Tremont Jones, was convicted of two counts of second-degree robbery and one count of conspiracy to commit robbery.
Surveillance footage shows Trone in the parking lot of the establishment a half hour before Allen was killed. The video also captures Jones giving Allen a fist bump and, according to prosecutors, tipping off Trone about the expensive jewelry on the rapper’s wrist, per AP.
Jones’ lawyer plans to appeal and Trone’s lawyer will file a motion for a new trial, stating that his client had nothing to do with the murder. The 42-year-old reiterated his statement as he took the stand on Monday.
“I never had nothing to do with it,” Trone said during trial, per AP. “I wasn’t there. I didn’t tell nobody to do nothing. I didn’t hand nobody no gun.”
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón issued a statement following the guilty verdict of the two men involved in the incident.
“Today, justice has been served for Mr. Allen and his family who have endured unimaginable pain losing a loved one to such senseless violence,” Gascón said in a news release statement. “We extend our deepest sympathies to them and the entire community. Thank you to my office’s Community Violence Reduction Division for their unwavering commitment to seek justice for Mr. Allen and hold Mr. Trone and Mr. Jones accountable for their actions. Let this serve as a clear message to anyone who threatens the safety and well-being of our community: our office will relentlessly pursue charges and work tirelessly to bring offenders to justice.”
Variety reported that Allen’s mother, Deanna Allen, was pleased about the news and happy that her son finally received justice.
“I’m elated,” she told the outlet. “I wanted to jump up and scream, ‘Hallelujah.’ I’m so happy it was quick. We got justice for Rakim. I feel better knowing they’ll be in jail for a long time.”
