Man sentenced to 31 years to life for murder of rapper PnB Rock in LA

A man convicted of murdering and robbing Philadelphia rapper PnB Rock at a famous Los Angeles restaurant was sentenced to 31 years to life in prison on Monday.

Freddie Lee Trone, 42, was found guilty by a jury in August of murder, two counts of robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery. His verdict was read Monday by Superior Court Judge Connie Quinones at the Compton courthouse.

Prosecutors said Trone ordered his then-17-year-old son to rob the rapper, who was dining with the mother of his four-year-old daughter at Roscoe's Chicken 'N Waffles, a branch of a celebrity-popular eatery 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 jewelry and opened fire, killing the artist.

The teenager has been charged with murder and is being held in a juvenile detention center after a judge ruled he was not competent to stand trial.

Trone's defense attorney, Winston McKesson, said he plans to appeal the verdict, which he can do after the verdict is announced, arguing there is no evidence – from physical items to communications – linking the father to the crime.

“There is no evidence that he supplied or planted the weapon or that he knew his son had a weapon,” he said by phone.

On the day of the murder, PnB Rock posted a video on his Twitter account at the time showing off a jeweled watch that appeared to be an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, an object of desire among hip-hop stars who wanted to use it to express their success.

A photo posted on his table companion's Instagram account showed the rapper's 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 could verify it.

Moore said a “large amount” of PnB Rock jewelry was stolen in the fatal robbery.

NBC Los Angeles reported that Trone was a gang member from South Los Angeles.

Another defendant, 46-year-old Tremont Jones, was sentenced to 12 years in prison after being 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 say was connected to the violence. She pleaded not guilty to being an accessory to the crime after the incident, prosecutors said. Sentencing in her case was scheduled for January 16.

On Monday, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement that the verdict against Trone confirms that justice will be served for PnB Rock's relatives.

“His life was ended by an act of violence that no family should have to endure,” Gascón said.