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Rapper Silentó, whose legal name is Ricky Lamar Hawk, was sentenced to 30 years in prison on June 11, 2025, after pleading guilty but mentally ill to voluntary manslaughter and related charges in the 2021 shooting death of his cousin, Frederick Rooks III. The murder charge was dropped under the plea agreement, so Hawk was not convicted of murder.
What happened in the case?
DeKalb County police found 34-year-old Frederick Rooks III with fatal gunshot wounds outside a home near Decatur, Georgia, on January 21, 2021. Police reported finding 10 bullet casings at the scene, according to The Associated Press and CBS News/AP.
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Investigators said nearby security footage showed a white BMW SUV leaving after the shots and described vehicle and GPS evidence connecting it to the scene. A family member told investigators that Rooks had last been seen with Hawk. CBS/AP reported that Hawk was taken into custody on February 1, 2021, and admitted in an interview to shooting Rooks; reporting also said ballistics matched casings to a gun Hawk had when arrested.
What did Silentó plead guilty to?
On June 11, 2025, Hawk pleaded guilty but mentally ill to voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, possessing a gun during a crime, and concealing another person’s death. A DeKalb County Superior Court judge sentenced him to 30 years in prison. The murder charge was dropped as part of the plea agreement, according to The Associated Press and FOX 5 Atlanta.
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The distinction matters: Hawk was sentenced after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter and related offenses, not convicted of murder. FOX 5 noted that it corrected an initial headline to reflect the voluntary-manslaughter conviction.
Who was Frederick Rooks III?
Rooks was Hawk’s cousin. He was 34 when he was fatally shot in January 2021. The case was prosecuted in DeKalb County, Georgia.
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Who is Silentó?
Hawk became widely known in 2015 for “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae),” released while he was a high-school junior in suburban Atlanta, according to The Associated Press.
In a 2019 interview cited by AP, Hawk spoke publicly about depression and fame: “Depression doesn’t leave you when you become famous, it just adds more pressure,” he said, urging others to seek help. That was his personal account, not an explanation for the shooting. Around the time of his arrest, his publicist, Chanel Hudson, said Hawk had been “suffering immensely from a series of mental health illnesses,” as reported by CBS/AP; that statement is attributable to his publicist.
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How the case unfolded
- January 21, 2021: Police found Rooks fatally shot outside a home near Decatur.
- February 1, 2021: Hawk was taken into custody, according to CBS/AP reporting.
- June 11, 2025: Hawk pleaded guilty but mentally ill to voluntary manslaughter and related charges and received a 30-year prison sentence.
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