'Whip/Nae Nae' Rapper Silento Gets 30 Years For Cousin's Murder
etimes.in
/ Jun 12, 2025, 12:59PM IST
Silento, the rapper behind the viral hit "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)," has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for killing his cousin, Frederick Rooks III, in 2021. The 27-year-old entered a guilty plea but claimed mental illness at the time of the crime. Rooks was found shot multiple times in the early hours of January 21 in DeKalb County, Georgia. Police recovered ten shell casings at the scene, and a white BMW SUV was seen fleeing moments after. Investigators later confirmed the vehicle belonged to Silento, real name Ricky Hawk. Surveillance footage, GPS tracking, and ballistic evidence all linked him to the killing. The murder weapon was found with Hawk at the time of his arrest.
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US rapper Silento, best known for his hit song 'Watch Me Whip', has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder of his 34-year-old cousin, Frederick Rooks III, in 2021. According to the New York Post, the 27-year-old rapper, whose real name is Ricky Lamar Hawk, pleaded guilty but mentally ill Wednesday to four charges, including voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during a felony crime, and concealing the death of his cousin. A murder charge was dropped as part of the plea agreement. Voluntary manslaughter came with a 20-year prison sentence, while the firearm possession and concealment of death counts entail five years each. Hawk has been in jail since his February 2021 arrest, per the outlet. Silento is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. He rose to fame in 2015 with his debut song 'Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)'. The song sparked a global craze and racked up millions of views on YouTube. The track even peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2021, police found the rapper shot in the leg and face outside a home in a suburban area near Decatur. Cops said that they found 10 bullet casings near Rook's body, and the security video from a nearby home showed a white BMW SUV speeding away shortly after the gunshots. A family member of Mr Rooks reportedly told officials that Silento had picked up Rooks in a white BMW SUV, and GPS data and other cameras put the vehicle at the site of the shooting. The rapper then confessed to the crime 10 days later after he was arrested. The bullet casings found at the scene matched the gun Silento had when he was arrested, officials said. The prior year, Silento was charged while living in Southern California for allegedly threatening two people with a hatchet. He had been on bail after a recent arrest. According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, Hawk "walked into an unlocked stranger's home" and attempted to strike the two people in the home with a hatchet before one of them managed to disarm him." In 2020, the rapper was also arrested after police said they clocked him driving 143 miles per hour (230 kilometres per hour) on Interstate 85 in DeKalb County.
