LOS ANGELES (AP) — A man convicted of sending his 17-year-old son into a restaurant to rob and kill rapper PnB Rock was sentenced Monday to 31 years to life in prison.
Judge Connie Quinones handed down the sentence to Freddie Trone, 42, in Los Angeles County Superior Court. A jury on Aug. 7 found Trone guilty of one count of murder, two counts of robbery and one count of conspiracy to commit robbery.
Both sides at Trone's trial agreed that the teen walked into Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles in South Los Angeles in September 2022 and shot the Philadelphia hip-hop star, whose legal name is Rakim Allen, while robbing him of his jewelry as he ate with the mother of his 4-year-old daughter.
The prosecution said he was acting on his father’s orders, while the defense, which plans to appeal, said Trone was only an accessory after the fact.
“I want to extend my deepest condolences to the family, friends, and fans of Rakim Allen,” District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement. “His life was cut short by an act of violence that no family should have to endure.”
Trone's attorney, Winston McKesson, said he disagreed with the judge. He said she declined at sentencing to give the reasons why his client was a “major participant” in the crime, as usually occurs.
He told The Associated Press after the sentencing there was no evidence that Trone was part of planning a killing, nor evidence he knew his son was armed. McKesson said a gun found with Allen was not sufficiently explained at trial, and the jury violated the judge's instructions by doing its own investigating with the evidence, including slowing down video they were shown in real time. He plans to file a notice of appeal.
Deannea Allen, the rapper's mother, traveled from their hometown of Philadelphia to give a statement in the Compton courtroom.
“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,” Deannea Allen said, according to Rolling Stone. “Rakim was the shining light in our family. He was a star to us.”
Trone's now-19-year-old son was also charged with murder but is in the custody of the juvenile system. A judge has found that he is not currently competent to stand trial.
The AP does not typically name minors who are accused of crimes.
PnB Rock was best known for his 2016 hit “Selfish” and for guest appearances on other artists’ songs such as YFN Lucci’s “Everyday We Lit” and Ed Sheeran’s “Cross Me” with Chance the Rapper. He was 30.
Andrew Dalton, The Associated Press