Atlanta rapper Ricky Hawk, known by his stage name Silentó, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after entering a guilty plea to charges including voluntary manslaughter in the death of his cousin, Frederick Rooks III, in 2021. Hawk, 27, entered a plea of guilty but mentally ill to charges of voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, and concealing the death of another, as reported by Atlanta News First.
According to police records, in the early hours of January 21, 2021, DeKalb County police responded to a shooting where they found Rooks had been shot multiple times. Security camera footage from a nearby house showed a white BMW SUV, which Hawk later admitted to driving, speeding away after the shooting. Despite Hawk having been arrested on February 1, the car was shown to be at the scene at the time of the shooting based on GPS data, and it was further confirmed that the bullet casings matched a gun found in Hawk's possession at the time of his arrest. "Please send my client Silentó some positive vibrations," Chanel Hudson, Silentó's PR manager, stated in a message that highlighted the rapper's mental health struggles and asked for public support, as detailed by FOX 5 Atlanta.
Rooks was last seen with Hawk, who had picked him up from a friend's home in a white SUV matching the one seen in the surveillance video. A family member reported the last sighting, adding another layer to the tragic circumstances of that night. After being taken into custody, Hawk confessed to shooting Rooks, further solidifying the evidence against him. Despite the grim nature of the crime, Hudson's statement urged the public to remember the rapper as a "beautiful soul" and to keep him in their thoughts.
Notably, Silentó attained fame after his song "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)" went viral and reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2015. His success continued with the release of his album "Fresh Outta High School" in 2019. Yet, prior to the incident leading to his conviction, Silentó had faced legal issues, including a 2020 arrest for driving at an enormous speed of 143 mph on Interstate 85 and a separate charge for attempting to hit two people with a hatchet in their Los Angeles home, which was reported by FOX 5 Atlanta.
Hawk had been in custody since his arrest, and following his plea, will now begin serving his sentence. The DeKalb County Jail has been his place of confinement since the legal proceedings started, and he will continue to serve time in a state facility moving forward. The progression of legal action from the time of the crime to the sentencing reflects the gravity of the charges and the legal system's response to the serious nature of the crimes committed.
