Rapper Silentó Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Killing His Cousin
Originally appeared on E! Online
Silentó's murder case has reached a conclusion.
The "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)" rapper—whose real name is Ricky Lamar Hawk—has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after being convicted of voluntary manslaughter and other charges in the 2021 fatal shooting of his cousin Frederick Rooks, DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston confirmed in a statement to Associated Press June 11.
The 27-year-old pleaded guilty and mentally ill to the manslaughter charge, as well as pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, possessing a gun while committing a crime and concealing the death of another, per the outlet. A murder charge was dropped a part of the plea agreement.
Four years prior to his sentencing, Silentó was arrested in connection to the death of Rooks, who was found lying in the street in the early hours of Jan. 21, 2021, in a suburb of Atlanta, according to an incident report obtained by E! News at the time.
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Rooks sustained gunshot wounds to the face and leg and was pronounced dead at the scene, per the document. Ring video footage from nearby homes showed several vehicles fleeing the scene, the filing noted, one of which was a white BMW that belonged to Silentó.
Ten days after he was taken into custody, the rapper confessed to the killing, police told Associated Press.
And while Silentó has not spoken out on his sentencing, the MC previously got candid about his mental health struggles.
'I've been fighting demons my whole life, my whole life,' he said during a 2019 appearance on medical talk show The Doctors. 'Depression doesn't leave you when you become famous, it just adds more pressure."
Silentó added, 'I don't know if I can truly be happy, I don't know if these demons will ever go away.'
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