June 12, (THEWILL) – American rapper, Ricky Lamar Hawk, popularly known as Silento, best known for the 2015 viral hit “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)”, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty but mentally ill to the 2021 murder of his cousin, Frederick Rooks III.
The 27-year-old singer confessed to shooting 34-year-old Rooks, who was found with multiple gunshot wounds in DeKalb County, Georgia, on January 21, 2021.
Prosecutors said video evidence and GPS data linked Hawk to the crime scene, with witnesses confirming that Rooks was last seen with the rapper.
Hawk pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, firearm possession during a crime, and concealing a death. Security footage captured his white BMW SUV fleeing the scene shortly after the shooting.
The conviction follows Hawk’s arrest in 2020 for allegedly attacking two people with a hatchet.
The day he was arrested, his then-publicist, Chanel Hudson, cited the rapper’s ongoing mental health struggles, stating that he “has been suffering from a series of mental health illnesses for the past several years” and would continue his “efforts of treatment”.
Evi Ben Ezaga writes on entertainment, culture, and trending stories.
