The California teen charged with shooting and killing hip-hop star PnB Rock nearly two years ago appeared in a Los Angeles County courtroom Friday as the temporary judge overseeing his juvenile case agreed he was not yet competent to stand trial.
Wearing a bright orange detention center uniform, the teen, whose name is being withheld by Rolling Stone, sat quietly during the morning hearing in Compton. Prosecutors say he was 17-years-old when he walked into a Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles restaurant in South Los Angeles on Sept. 12, 2022 and fired multiple shots at the rising rapper born Rakim Allen. The teen allegedly swiped several pieces of jewelry from Allen and his terrified fiancée Stephanie Sibounheuang as the “Middle Child” rapper lay bleeding out on the floor.
Commissioner Sharonda P. Bradford said Friday that the alleged shooter was receiving a range of services while in custody but that an expert recommendation said he still lacked the necessary competency to follow a criminal proceeding. “The recommendation is that the previous orders remain,” Commissioner Bradford said. “The proceedings remain suspended, remediation continues.” A follow-up hearing was set for next month.
The juvenile court hearing took place in the same building for the ongoing murder trial of the accused shooter’s father, Freddie Trone. The father, 42, has pleaded not guilty to one count of murder, two counts of robbery, and one count of conspiracy to commit a felony.
Another man, Tremont Jones, is a co-defendant in the same trial and accused of tipping off Trone and his son to Allen’s whereabouts the day of the deadly shooting. Jones, 46, has pleaded not guilty to of two counts of robbery, one count of conspiracy, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
On Friday, jurors saw a series of graphic photos showing Allen’s blood smeared and spattered over the walls and floor inside the Roscoe’s. One of the first police officers to arrive on the scene described rendering aid to Allen as he took his final breaths.
In testimony that could prove pivotal, the officer said she was applying pressure to Allen’s wounds for up to two minutes before paramedics arrived. She said the musician was lying on his back, and that it wasn’t until firefighters began to lift him up off the ground that a firefighter discovered Allen had a gun. She said Allen had the black firearm tucked in his waistband on his back. It was completely out of sight when she arrived, she said.
The placement of the gun on Allen’s back is notable considering Freddie Trone’s lawyer argued in a filing last January that his client’s son may have fired out of fear. “From the video camera in the restaurant, it is unclear what Mr. Rakim was doing with his hands after he was approached by Mr. Trone’s son. [The son] could have been in fear for his own life,” defense lawyer Winston McKesson wrote in his motion to dismiss charges.
Allen was 30 years old when he walked into the Roscoe’s nearly two years ago with Sibounheuang. The Philadelphia-bred artist, known for his melodic flow, became a breakout star in 2016 with his triple-platinum single “Selfish.” That same year, Rolling Stone named him a New Artist You Need to Know. He went on to reach crossover fame with his 2019 feature on Ed Sheeran’s “Cross Me.”
LAPD Officer Katryna Castañeda, the officer who rendered aid to Allen before paramedics arrived, testified Friday that she realized who the victim was when she saw a large diamond-encrusted pendant on the floor that read, “Big PnB.” She was familiar with Allen’s music, she said. Jurors saw a photo of the pendant on the ground next to a saltshaker. According to prosecutors, the alleged shooter stole different chains, rings, wristwatches, and a large “New LANE” pendant from Allen that day along with a luxury Audemars Piguet watch from Sibounheuang.
In opening statements earlier this week, Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Timothy Ricardson told jurors that the evidence will show Trone drove his son to the Roscoe’s restaurant that day and sent him inside to commit robbery. He claimed Trone was “using” his son and should answer for the teen opening fire. Richardson said surveillance video would show that Trone spoke with Jones and another unidentified man outside the restaurant minutes before the shooting and then tried to cover up his and his son’s alleged crimes by setting their getaway car “ablaze” a few blocks from their home.
Defense lawyer Winston McKesson said jurors should set aside their emotions and focus on the evidence. “This is an unfortunate incident. This young man lost his life and a young lady who witnessed it will probably never be the same because she had to witness this horrendous crime,” McKesson said. “Everything you watch and hear will show you that unfortunately his son acted alone.” The lawyer scoffed at Richardson showing jurors a photo of Trone and his son leaving their home together hours before the shooting. He said Roscoe’s “doesn’t take reservations,” so there was no way his client could have predicted Allen and Sibounheuang would decide to “walk into this restaurant in the heart of South Central Los Angeles wearing all of this jewelry” that afternoon.
“You will hear no evidence that he 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,” McKesson said in his opening statement Tuesday. “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?”
In his opening, Richardson said Jones was not charged with murder and that jurors should be mindful of that distinction. He said Jones was seen fist-bumping Allen before meeting up with Trone.
Jones’ defense lawyer, David Haas, used his opening statement to poke holes in the prosecution’s claim that Jones tipped Trone off to Allen’s arrival at the Roscoe’s. He suggested Allen and Sibounheuang attracted plenty of attention when they walked from their white Mercedes to the front of the restaurant “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, and that prosecutors had only soundless video and phone records he described as inconclusive. “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,” Haas said.
