Latest news with #Silento
NDTV
a day ago
- NDTV
US Rapper Silento, Best Known For Hit Song 'Watch Me Whip', Gets 30 Years In Prison For Killing Cousin
US rapper Silento, best known for his hit song 'Watch Me Whip', has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder of his 34-year-old cousin, Frederick Rooks III, in 2021. According to the New York Post, the 27-year-old rapper, whose real name is Ricky Lamar Hawk, pleaded guilty but mentally ill Wednesday to four charges, including voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during a felony crime, and concealing the death of his cousin. A murder charge was dropped as part of the plea agreement. Voluntary manslaughter came with a 20-year prison sentence, while the firearm possession and concealment of death counts entail five years each. Hawk has been in jail since his February 2021 arrest, per the outlet. Silento is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. He rose to fame in 2015 with his debut song 'Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)'. The song sparked a global craze and racked up millions of views on YouTube. The track even peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2021, police found the rapper shot in the leg and face outside a home in a suburban area near Decatur. Cops said that they found 10 bullet casings near Rook's body, and the security video from a nearby home showed a white BMW SUV speeding away shortly after the gunshots. A family member of Mr Rooks reportedly told officials that Silento had picked up Rooks in a white BMW SUV, and GPS data and other cameras put the vehicle at the site of the shooting. The rapper then confessed to the crime 10 days later after he was arrested. The bullet casings found at the scene matched the gun Silento had when he was arrested, officials said. The prior year, Silento was charged while living in Southern California for allegedly threatening two people with a hatchet. He had been on bail after a recent arrest. According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, Hawk "walked into an unlocked stranger's home" and attempted to strike the two people in the home with a hatchet before one of them managed to disarm him." In 2020, the rapper was also arrested after police said they clocked him driving 143 miles per hour (230 kilometres per hour) on Interstate 85 in DeKalb County.
IOL News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- IOL News
From viral sensation to convicted murderer: Silento's 30-year prison sentence
Silento's rap career ends tragically as he faces 30 years in prison for the murder of his cousin. Image: Instagram American rapper Silento has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder of his cousin. The 'Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)' hitmaker was sentenced on Wednesday, June 11, after he pleaded guilty to charges related to his cousin's death. The 27-year-old Atlanta-born artist, whose real name is Richard Lamar Hawk, pleaded guilty but mentally ill to voluntary manslaughter and other charges in connection with the fatal shooting of his 34-year-old cousin. The plea deal also included guilty pleas to aggravated assault, firearm possession during a crime, and concealing a death, while a murder charge was dismissed due to the plea agreement. In January 2021, Hawk was arrested in connection with the shooting of his 34-year-old cousin, Frederick Rooks III, who was found with multiple gunshot wounds in Atlanta, Georgia, at a DeKalb County location. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ According to the district attorney's office, a number of neighbours nearby told the police that they heard the gunshots go off, and doorbell camera footage at a nearby house captured a white BMW SUV speeding away from the scene shortly after the shots were fired. It is reported that one of Rooks' family members claimed the victim was last seen with Hawk, who had picked him up from a friend's home in a white SUV. According to prosecutors, after the rapper's arrest, he admitted to shooting his cousin, Rooks. Additionally, bullet casings found at the scene were reportedly matched to a gun discovered on the rapper at the time of his arrest. Hawk had a prior history of run-ins with the law. In 2020, he was arrested in DeKalb County for speeding. Additionally, he faced charges in a separate incident in Los Angeles for attempting to strike two people with an axe in their home. The 27-year-old rapper, singer, and songwriter gained popularity in 2015 with his viral debut single 'Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)'. He was 17 when he released the catchy song that was shortly followed by a colourful music video with the famous 'Nae Nae' dance moves that shot the song to hit status, topping the Billboard Hot 100 US charts at number 3 and earning him a record deal.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
'Whip/Nae Nae' Rapper Silento Gets 30 Years For Cousin's Murder
/ Jun 12, 2025, 12:59PM IST Silento, the rapper behind the viral hit "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)," has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for killing his cousin, Frederick Rooks III, in 2021. The 27-year-old entered a guilty plea but claimed mental illness at the time of the crime. Rooks was found shot multiple times in the early hours of January 21 in DeKalb County, Georgia. Police recovered ten shell casings at the scene, and a white BMW SUV was seen fleeing moments after. Investigators later confirmed the vehicle belonged to Silento, real name Ricky Hawk. Surveillance footage, GPS tracking, and ballistic evidence all linked him to the killing. The murder weapon was found with Hawk at the time of his arrest.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Rapper Silento sentenced to 30 years for killing cousin
Rapper Silento has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for killing his cousin. The Atlanta star, whose 2015 chart-topper Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae) spawned a viral dance craze, pleaded guilty to shooting and killing his cousin in 2021. Silento, real name Ricky Lamar Hawk, had been scheduled to stand trial this week over the death of Frederick Rooks, but took a plea deal on Wednesday 11 June. He pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, gun possession and concealing a death, but said he was mentally ill when the crimes were committed. The manslaughter charge was downgraded from a harsher malice murder count in his indictment, while Georgia prosecutors agreed to drop another felony murder charge. The judge sentenced Silento to 30 years in prison following the plea, with credit given for the four years spent on remand. Prosecutors claim Silento shot Rooks multiple times in February 2021 and then fled the scene. Silento allegedly admitted to killing Rooks during a post-arrest interview with investigators, and prosecutors say bullet casings recovered from the scene matched a gun found on the rapper when he was apprehended. A rep for Silento said when he was arrested in 2021 he had been "suffering immensely from a series of mental health illnesses". He was diagnosed with severe bipolar disorder in jail, according to court filings.
North Wales Chronicle
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- North Wales Chronicle
Rapper Silento sentenced to 30 years for shooting cousin to death
The 27-year-old, known for his hit song, Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae), pleaded guilty but mentally ill on Wednesday to voluntary manslaughter and other charges in the shooting of his 34-year-old cousin. Silento, whose legal name is Ricky Lamar Hawk, was sentenced to 30 years in prison, DeKalb County district attorney Sherry Boston said in a statement. Hawk also pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, possessing a gun while committing a crime and concealing the death of another. A murder charge was dropped as part of the plea agreement. DeKalb County police found Frederick Rooks III shot in the leg and face in the early morning hours of January 21 2021 outside a home in a suburban area near Decatur. Police said they found 10 bullet casings near Mr Rooks' body, and security video from a nearby home showed a white BMW SUV speeding away shortly after the gunshots. A family member of Mr Rooks told police that Silento had picked up his cousin in a white BMW SUV, and GPS data and other cameras put the vehicle at the site of the shooting. Silento confessed about 10 days later after he was arrested, police said. Ballistics testing matched the bullet casings to a gun that Silento had when he was arrested, authorities said. Mr Rooks' brothers and sisters told DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Courtney L Johnson before sentencing that Silento should have received a longer sentence, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. The rapper was a high school junior in suburban Atlanta in 2015 when he released Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae) and watched it skyrocket into a dance craze. Silento made multiple other albums, but said in an interview with the medical talk show, The Doctors, in 2019, that he struggled with depression and had grown up in a family where he witnessed mental illness and violence. 'I've been fighting demons my whole life, my whole life,' he said in 2019. 'Depression doesn't leave you when you become famous, it just adds more pressure,' Silento said then, urging others to get help. 'And while everybody's looking at you, they're also judging you.' 'I don't know if I can truly be happy, I don't know if these demons will ever go away.' Silento had been struggling in the months before the arrest. His publicist, Chanel Hudson, has said he had tried to kill himself in 2020. In August 2020, Silento was arrested in Santa Ana, California, on a domestic violence charge. The next day, the Los Angeles Police Department charged him with assault with a deadly weapon after witnesses said he entered a home where he did not know anyone looking for his girlfriend and swung a hatchet at two people before he was disarmed. In October 2020, Silento was arrested after police said they clocked him driving at 143 miles per hour on Interstate 85 in DeKalb County. Ms Hudson said at the time of Silento's arrest in the killing of Mr Rooks that he had been 'suffering immensely from a series of mental health illnesses'.
