DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston confirmed that Ricky Lamar Hawk, known as Silento in the music industry, has pleaded guilty but mentally ill to charges stemming from a 2021 shooting. The plea includes voluntary manslaughter and several other offenses, leading to a 30-year prison sentence for the murder of his cousin, Frederick Rooks III.
On January 21, 2021, DeKalb County Police Department officers arrived at a crime scene in Panthersville following a report of shots fired. There, they discovered Rooks with multiple gunshot wounds, and despite emergency medical attention, he was declared deceased. Surveillance footage revealed a white BMW SUV speeding away posthaste after the gunshots, a vehicle that Hawk was later associated with, according to the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office.
Investigations into the incident painted a clear picture of events. A FLOCK camera captured Hawk’s SUV, and GPS data confirmed its presence at the murder scene. The vehicle was the same one seen fleeing in the home security footage, and upon Hawk's arrest, ballistics testing matched the casings found on-site to a gun in his possession.
In a statement obtained by the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office, "Hawk admitted to shooting Rooks," further solidifying the case against him. The coordinated effort between prosecutors, investigators, and a victim advocate led to Hawk’s conviction and subsequent sentence delivered by Superior Court Judge Courtney Johnson.
The DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office has highlighted the efforts of those responsible for bringing Hawk's case to a close, including Senior Assistant District Attorneys Helen Pott and Thomas Williams, Detective B.R. Smith, and others who supported the legal process leading to the 30-year sentence now facing Hawk for his crimes.
