Silentó Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Killing His Cousin

Atlanta-based artist Silentó has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the 2021 killing of his cousin.

The 27-year-old “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)” star, whose real name is Ricky Lamar Hawk, pleaded guilty but mentally ill to voluntary manslaughter, DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston said in a statement Wednesday, June 11. 

He also pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and concealing the death of another in connection with the death of his cousin, 34-year-old Frederick Rooks III.

According to the DeKalb County Police Department, officers arrived at the scene around 3:37 a.m. on Jan. 21, 2021, and found Rooks suffering from multiple gunshot wounds at the intersection of Deep Shoals Circle and Corners Crossing in the Panthersville area.

By the time EMS arrived, Rooks was pronounced dead. Investigators recovered 10 bullet casings near his body. 

A relative told officers that Hawk and Rooks were last seen together after the rapper picked Rooks up from a friend’s home in a white BMW SUV.

The same vehicle was captured on a neighbor’s home security footage, fleeing the area at a high rate of speed minutes after the other residents heard the gunfire.

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Hawk admitted to shooting his cousin on Feb. 1, 2021, after he was taken into custody. 

After the arrest, his PR manager, Chanel Hudson, released a statement asking for prayers for her client.

“Please send my client Silentó some positive vibrations,” she said, per Fox 5 Atlanta. “Over the past several years, Ricky has been suffering immensely from a series of mental health illnesses. We will continue in his efforts of treatment, but we ask in the meantime the public uplift him and his family in immediate prayer and positive energy!”

“Ricky is a beautiful soul, and we hope that the same people who came up whipping’ & nay nay-in with him, continue to support him and lifted in prayer!! God bless,” Hudson continued.

Prior to Rooks’ fatal January 2021 shooting, Hawk was arrested and charged with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon after he was accused of attacking two people with a hatchet.

The August 2020 incident happened when prosecutors alleged that Silentó entered a Los Angeles-area home of individuals he did not know as the rapper looked for his girlfriend. 

As reported by the Associated Press, during a 2019 appearance on the medical talk show The Doctors, Hawk opened up about his struggles with mental health.

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“I’ve been fighting demons my whole life, my whole life,” the artist said.

“Depression doesn’t leave you when you become famous, it just adds more pressure,” Silentó continued. ”And while everybody’s looking at you, they’re also judging you.”

“I don’t know if I can truly be happy, I don’t know if these demons will ever go away.”

If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.