Richard Lamar “Ricky” Hawk, known by his stage name Silentó and best known for his 2015 viral hit “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae),” has been sentenced to 30 years in prison following a plea deal in connection with the 2021 killing of his cousin.
On Wednesday, Hawk pleaded guilty but mentally ill to multiple charges, including voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, and concealing the death of another, according to DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston.
The charges stem from the January 21, 2021, shooting of 34-year-old Frederick Rooks III, who was found dead from multiple gunshot wounds near the intersection of Deep Shoals Circle and Corners Crossing in unincorporated Decatur, Georgia.
Investigators discovered ten bullet casings at the scene. Surveillance footage captured a white BMW SUV fleeing the area shortly after the gunshots were heard.
A relative later told police that Hawk had picked up Rooks in a vehicle matching that description, and GPS data confirmed the car’s presence at the scene.
Following the sentencing, Hawk’s attorney, Keith Adams, emphasized the rapper’s long-standing mental health struggles, noting that his condition had been documented since he was 12 years old.
“This was not a crime of passion or a morally depraved act,” Adams said in a statement to ABC News. “Ricky has suffered from mental illness for most of his life, even during his rise to fame and afterward.”
Despite the plea acknowledging his mental illness, the court imposed a custodial sentence, and Hawk will serve time in a state penitentiary.
