Tuesday, September 24, 2024 - A man convicted in the murder and robbery of American rapper PnB Rock at a famous Los Angeles eatery has been sentenced to 31 years to life in prison.
A jury convicted Freddie Lee Trone, 42, last month of one
count of murder, two counts of robbery, and one count of conspiracy to commit
robbery. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Connie Quinones read his
sentence Monday at the Compton Courthouse.
Prosecutors said Trone ordered his son, then 17, to rob the
rapper, who was dining with his 4-year-old daughter's mother at Roscoe’s
Chicken ’N Waffles, a branch of an eatery popular with celebrities, in South
Los Angeles on Sept. 12, 2022.
Los Angeles police said at the time that an armed robber
approached PnB Rock, whose real name was Rakim Hasheem Allen argued with him,
robbed him of jewellery, and opened fire, killing him.
The teenager was charged with murder and is being held in a
juvenile facility after a judge ruled he is not competent to stand trial.
Trone's defence attorney, Winston McKesson, said he plans to
appeal the conviction, which he can do after sentencing. He argued there is no
evidence, from physical items to communication, tying the father to the crime.
"There's no evidence he supplied the gun, planted the
gun or knew his son had a gun," he said by phone.
The day of the murder, PnB Rock posted a photo to his dining
companion's Instagram account reflecting his presence at Roscoe's and may have
also revealed his location to the public, then-Los Angeles Police Chief Michel
Moore said the day after the crime.
The post was deleted before NBC News was able to verify it.
Moore said an "extensive amount" of jewellery was
taken from PnB Rock in the deadly robbery.
Another defendant, Tremont Jones, 46, was sentenced to
12 years in prison after he was found guilty of two counts of robbery and one
count of conspiracy in connection with the case.
Shauntel Trone, Freddie Lee's wife, was the owner of a
vehicle that police and prosecutors alleged was connected to the violence. She
pleaded no contest to being an accessory to the crime after the fact, according
to the district attorney's office. Sentencing in her case was scheduled for
Jan. 16.
On Monday, Los Angeles County District Attorney George
Gascón said in a statement that Trone affirms that justice will prevail for PnB
Rock's loved ones.
"His life was cut short by an act of violence that no
family should have to endure," Gascón said.
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