PnB Rock Death Investigation Leads to Conviction of Shooter’s Father

The family of Philadelphia-born rapper PnB Rock has received some form of justice after one of the two men accused of murdering the budding star was convicted in his gruesome killing. Freddie Trone, 42, was accused by prosecutors of sending his 17-year-old son to rob the rapper while he dined with his girlfriend at Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles in Los Angeles in September 2022, per The Associated Press. The rapper’s girlfriend testified that a masked man shot him after ordering him to give up his jewelry. After four hours of deliberation, jurors convicted Trone of one count of murder, two counts of robbery, and one count of conspiracy to commit robbery. At the time of the shooting, the rapper’s four-year-old daughter was present.

The prosecution argued that the alleged shooter, now 19, was acting on his father’s orders. Trone’s attorney claimed that he was only an accessory after the fact and helped his son after he learned what he’d done. The now-19-year-old was charged with murder but is in the custody of the juvenile system. A judge has deemed him incompetent to stand trial at the current time.

Trone testified during the trial. While on the witness stand, he told the courtroom: “I 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.”

Another man, Tremont Jones, was found guilty of two counts of robbery and one count of conspiracy. He was not charged with murder. Video presented during the trial showed Trone in the parking lot of the restaurant about 30 minutes before the killing. He testified that he was in the area promoting his beauty business nearby.

According to court testimony reported by Rolling Stone, the rapper’s girlfriend, Stephanie Sibounheuang, recalled being approached by the shooter just minutes after a waiter delivered their food. “He came to our table right away. I thought it was a fan asking for a picture until I saw the gun,” she said. She described the gunman as a “kid who didn’t know what he was doing.” While firing shots, she said PnB Rock, born Hakeem Allen, threw her under the table, noting that he “saved” her life, adding, “He’s heroic. He’s a hero. [Other men] would never.”