PnB Rock‘s murder trial has officially gotten underway, and the legal team for the two men accused is working swiftly to attempt to keep their clients safe from a guilty verdict.
According to Rolling Stone, a jury of eight men and four women were present as the trial began on Tuesday (July 23) – nearly two years after Rock was shot and killed at a Los Angeles-based Roscoe’s.
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Freddie Trone, the alleged getaway driver and father of the juvenile charged with shooting and killing the rapper, previously pleaded not guilty to one count of murder, two counts of robbery, and one count of conspiracy to commit a felony. Trone’s son will be tried separately.
Tremont Jones, 46, has been charged with two counts of robbery, one count of conspiring to rob PnB Rock inside the Roscoe’s and one count of illegal possession of a firearm. He stands accused of tipping off the killers to Rock’s whereabouts and possibly supplying the gun for his murder.
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In court on Tuesday, 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?
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“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?”
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.
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The 17-year-old alleged trigger man is being prosecuted separately due to his age. His mental competency has been an issue in resolving his case, according to the report. He is due back in juvenile court for a competency proceeding on Friday (July 26).
