Rapper Silentó, known for his viral hit “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae),” was sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges related to the fatal shooting of his cousin.
The 27-year-old Atlanta rapper, whose real name is Ricky Lamar Hawk, pleaded guilty but mentally ill to voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, possessing a firearm while committing a crime and concealing the death of another.
SilentĂł was taken into custody on February 1, 2021 after he told investigators that he had shot his cousin, 34-year-old Frederick Rooks III.
Around 3:37 am on January 21, 2021, Rooks suffered from multiple gunshot wounds in a residential neighborhood in Decatur, GA. Emergency workers pronounced him dead on the scene. Investigators recovered 10 bullet casings near his body.
After the arrest, SilentĂł’s PR manager, Chanel Hudson, released a statement asking for prayers for her client.
“Please send my client SilentĂł 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.
With a plea of guilty but mentally ill, the state’s Department of Corrections is responsible for evaluating and treating Silentó’s mental health needs, according to Georgia law.
