COMPTON, Calif. (AP) — A man facing murder charges strongly denied in court that he instructed his 17-year-old son to rob and kill hip-hop star PnB Rock at a Los Angeles restaurant in 2022.
During cross-examination at his trial in a Compton, California courtroom, Freddie Trone told a prosecutor, “I never had anything to do with it. I wasn’t there. I didn’t tell anybody to do anything. I didn’t provide a gun to anyone.”
Trone, who is facing one charge of murder, two counts of second-degree robbery, and one count of conspiracy to commit robbery, was the only defense witness and took the stand to defend himself against the accusations.
He admitted that the crimes were terrible and acknowledged that his son, currently in the juvenile justice system and not yet tried, was a dangerous individual.
The prosecutor highlighted the dangerous nature of the crimes and questioned Trone’s decision to involve his son in such activities.
The prosecution presented surveillance video footage from the day of the incident, showing Trone and his alleged involvement in dropping off his son near the restaurant shortly before the shooting.
The defense will present its closing arguments on Tuesday, arguing that there is insufficient evidence linking Trone to the crime and emphasizing the lack of recovered jewelry or weapons.
Trone’s attorney criticized the prosecution for rushing to file murder charges without thoroughly investigating all possible leads.
