Father, son charged with murder of rapper PnB Rock
CALIFORNIA - Authorities in California have announced that a 17-year-old boy, his father, and stepmother have been arrested in connection with the robbery and fatal shooting of rapper PnB Rock in Los Angeles.
An FBI-led fugitive task force took 40-year-old Freddie Lee Trone into custody at about 1 p.m., Los Angeles police said. He had been charged earlier in the day with one count of murder, two counts of second-degree robbery and one count of conspiracy to commit robbery, the District Attorney's Office said. His son, who was arrested Tuesday, was charged with the same counts.
RELATED: Entertainment community reacts to PnB Rock's death
Trone's 38-year-old wife, Shauntel Trone, the boy's stepmother, was also arrested Tuesday and was charged with one count of being an accessory after the fact to the killing. She pleaded not guilty at her arraignment Thursday.
The teen, who remains jailed, made an initial appearance in juvenile court and was told to return next month. It is not clear when Freddie Lee Trone will appear in court for an extradition hearing, or whether any of the defendants have retained attorneys.
Lives on the line for rap
Fame and fortune sometimes come with a very steep price for hip-hop artists: their lives. Just last week, rapper PNB Rock was shot and killed. It was the latest in a series of murders targeting hip-hop artists. Does becoming a rapper mean putting your own safety on the line?
Police say Freddie was the getaway driver and his son was the gunman, the mother's role is not known.
RELATED: Rapper Ice T: 'LA is just a dangerous place, rapper or not'
On the afternoon of Sept. 12, Los Angeles authorities said the 30-year-old rapper, born Rakim Allen, was robbed and shot at Roscoe's House of Chicken 'N Waffles on Manchester Avenue. The robber took some jewelry from Allen and fled in a car that was waiting in the parking lot, police said. No one else was injured in the shooting and Allen was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Rock was best known for his 2016 hit "Selfish" and for making guest appearances on other artists' songs such as YFN Lucci’s "Everyday We Lit" and Ed Sheeran’s "Cross Me" with Chance the Rapper. His latest track, "Luv Me Again," was released Sept. 2.
With the Associated Press.