Silentó, known for « Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae), » was sentenced to 30 years in prison on voluntary manslaughter and other charges.
Silentó, the rapper behind the 2015 hit song « Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae) », was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Wednesday after pleading guilty but mentally ill to voluntary manslaughter and other charges relating to the shooting death of his cousin.Why It Matters
Richard Lamar « Ricky » Hawk, who utilizes the stage name Silentó, was accused of fatally shooting his cousin, 34-year-old Frederick Rooks III, in 2021 in Decatur, Georgia.
The 27-year-old was initially charged with malice murder, but it was downgraded to voluntary manslaughter as part of the plea agreement. A felony murder charge was dropped.
Hawk also pleaded guilty but mentally ill to aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and concealing the death of another, the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office announced in a news release.What To Know
The DeKalb County Police Department responded to a report of a person shot at around 3:37 a.m. on January 21, 2021. Officers found Rooks suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. EMS arrived at the scene and confirmed that he was deceased.
A family member of the victim told officials that Rooks was last seen with Hawk, who had picked Rooks up from a friend’s house in a white BMW SUV.
