PnB Rock‘s alleged killer is not yet ready to face a jury, a Los Angeles court ruled this week.
A teenager is the accused gunman in the star’s 2022 murder, which took place at a Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles in Los Angeles. The teen’s father, Freddie Trone, is also charged in the case, as is another man, Tremont Jones.
Trone is accused of being the getaway driver, and Jones of tipping off the killers to Rock’s whereabouts and possibly supplying the gun for his murder.
The teenager, according to Rolling Stone, had a court hearing on Friday (July 26).
In it, Commissioner Sharonda P. Bradford explained that while the accused shooter was receiving services, an expert had determined he still would be unable to understand a trial.
A follow-up hearing will happen in August.
Trone and Jones’ trial began this week on Tuesday (July 23).
In court that day, defense lawyers for both men argued there is not enough evidence for some of the charges against their clients.
“You will hear no evidence that [Trone] planned this with his son. That he instructed his son to do this or he egged him on. They will have evidence that my client did help his son cover this up. We’re not disputing that. What we’re saying is the gunman acted alone,” Winston McKesson said. “This is a horrible thing. It is. Somebody should pay. They should. But focus on what is not there. Where is the evidence that these people sat down and planned this?
“Where is the evidence that my client gave his son the gun? Where is the evidence that my client planted this in his son’s head? Where is the evidence that my client instructed his son to commit cold-blooded murder?”
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McKesson argues that Trone is guilty solely of being an accessory after the fact.
Jones’ defense lawyer, David Haas, used his opening statement to say there’s no real evidence that his client tipped Trone off to where Rock was. Instead, he said that the rapper and his girlfriend attracted plenty of attention when they walked from their white Mercedes to the front of Roscoe’s “wearing about half a million dollars in jewelry, sparkling in the sun.”
He said the conspiracy charge required evidence his client had a “meeting of the minds” with Trone. “All of this is guesswork, all guesswork, and when you can’t put your finger on specific words or specific actions, we call that a finding of not guilty,” he said.
