Rapper Silento sentenced to 30 years for 2021 murder of cousin in metro Atlanta

Atlanta rapper Silento was handed a 30-year prison sentence on June 11 after pleading guilty but mentally ill to voluntary manslaughter and aggravated assault in the fatal shooting of his cousin, Frederick Rooks III, in 2021. A DeKalb County Superior Court judge ruled that Ricky Hawk, known for his 2015 hit “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae),” will serve three decades behind bars for the early-morning shooting on January 21, 2021, at a home off Deep Shoals Circle. Rooks was found with multiple gunshot wounds and pronounced dead at the scene. Prosecutors said Hawk admitted to the shooting and that bullet casings matched a firearm recovered at his arrest. Hawk’s attorney and PR manager cited his ongoing mental health struggles, requesting positive support as he seeks treatment. Silento has been in DeKalb County Jail since his arrest. The rapper’s plea and sentencing mark a dramatic fall for the chart-topping artist.