TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Rapper Ricky Lamar Hawk, known by his stage name Silento, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, to the shooting death of his cousin, Frederick Rooks, in January 2021.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the 27-year-old accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to reduced charges of voluntary manslaughter. As reported by Variety, he also admitted to aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and concealing the death of another person. The original murder charges were dropped as part of the agreement.
Silento will serve a 30-year sentence, which includes time served since his arrest in February 2021. Voluntary manslaughter carries a 20-year sentence, while the firearm and concealment charges add five years each. Rooks’ family told the judge they believed Silento should have received a longer sentence.
Timeline of the Case
On January 21, 2021, DeKalb County Police responded to a call in Panthersville, Georgia. Officers found 34-year-old Rooks with multiple gunshot wounds to the face and leg. Ten shell casings were discovered nearby, and Rooks was pronounced dead at the scene.
Silento was arrested on February 1 after a family member told police that he was last seen with Rooks. CCTV footage showed a white BMW SUV, which they had been traveling in, speeding away shortly after the gunshots. Silento confessed to the murder, and police matched the shell casings to a firearm found in his possession.
Mental Health and Legal History
Following the arrest, Silento’s spokesperson Chanel Hudson said the rapper had been dealing with mental health issues.
"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 uplifts him and his family in immediate prayers & positive energy!!" she wrote on Instagram.
In a 2019 appearance on The Doctors talk show, Silento said he struggled with depression and had grown up around mental illness and violence. Hudson also said he attempted suicide in 2020. That year, he had several legal troubles, including arrests for domestic violence and reckless driving at 143 mph.
Silento rose to fame with his debut single 'Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)' released while he was still in high school in 2015. The song was a major success, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earning over 400 million streams on Spotify.
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