Rapper Silento Sentenced To 30 Years For Cousin’s Shooting Death
Written by Tariq on June 12, 2025
A judge has sentenced Atlanta rapper Silentó to decades in prison after he pleaded guilty to killing his cousin. Best known for “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae),” the 27-year-old rapper, whose real name is Ricky Hawk, pleaded guilty, but mentally ill, to voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, and other charges in connection with the 2021 deadly shooting.
In the early morning hours of Jan. 21, 2021, officers with the DeKalb County Police Department responded to a report of a person shot at a home off of Deep Shoals Circle and Corners Crossing.At the home, police found 34-year-old Frederick Rooks III suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Neighbors told police that they heard gunshots and a security camera on a nearby home caught a white BMW SUV fleeing the scene shortly after the shots. One of Rooks’ family members said that the victim was last seen with Silento, who picked him up from a friend’s home in a white SUV. Investigators did not have a suspect at the time but later identified Hawk as the gunman. After Silento was taken into custody, prosecutors say he admitted shooting Rooks. Bullet casings from the scene also reportedly matched a gun found on the rapper at the time of his arrest.
Source: Fox 5 Atlanta
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