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NEED TO KNOW
- Silentó, born Ricky Lamar Hawk, pleaded responsible to the Jan. 21, 2021, killing of his cousin, Frederick Rooks III
- DeKalb County Superior Courtroom Decide Courtney Johnson sentenced Hawk to 30 years in jail
- The rapper was extensively recognized for his 2015 single “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)”
Atlanta-based artist Silentó has been sentenced to 30 years in jail for the 2021 killing of his cousin.
The 27-year-old “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)” star, whose actual identify is Ricky Lamar Hawk, pleaded responsible however mentally ailing to voluntary manslaughter, DeKalb County District Legal professional Sherry Boston mentioned in a statement Wednesday, June 11.
He additionally pleaded responsible to aggravated assault, possession of a firearm in the course of the fee of against the law and concealing the dying of one other in reference to the dying of his cousin, 34-year-old Frederick Rooks III.
Andrew Toth/Getty
In keeping with the DeKalb County Police Division, officers arrived on the scene round 3:37 a.m. on Jan. 21, 2021, and located Rooks affected by a number of gunshot wounds on the intersection of Deep Shoals Circle and Corners Crossing within the Panthersville space.
By the point EMS arrived, Rooks was pronounced lifeless. Investigators recovered 10 bullet casings close to his physique.
A relative instructed officers that Hawk and Rooks had been final seen collectively after the rapper picked Rooks up from a buddy’s dwelling in a white BMW SUV.
The identical car was captured on a neighbor’s dwelling safety footage, fleeing the world at a excessive fee of pace minutes after the opposite residents heard the gunfire.
Hawk admitted to taking pictures his cousin on Feb. 1, 2021, after he was taken into custody.
After the arrest, his PR supervisor, Chanel Hudson, launched an announcement asking for prayers for her consumer.
“Please ship my consumer Silentó some optimistic vibrations,” she mentioned, per Fox 5 Atlanta. “Over the previous a number of years, Ricky has been struggling immensely from a collection of psychological well being diseases. We’ll proceed in his efforts of remedy, however we ask within the meantime the general public uplift him and his household in rapid prayer and optimistic vitality!”
“Ricky is a gorgeous soul, and we hope that the identical individuals who got here up whipping’ & nay nay-in with him, proceed to help him and lifted in prayer!! God bless,” Hudson continued.
Paras Griffin/Getty
Previous to Rooks’ deadly January 2021 taking pictures, Hawk was arrested and charged with two counts of assault with a lethal weapon after he was accused of attacking two people with a hatchet.
The August 2020 incident occurred when prosecutors alleged that Silentó entered a Los Angeles-area dwelling of people he didn’t know because the rapper regarded for his girlfriend.
As reported by the Associated Press, throughout a 2019 look on the medical discuss present The Medical doctors, Hawk opened up about his struggles with psychological well being.
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“I’ve been combating demons my complete life, my complete life,” the artist mentioned.
“Melancholy doesn’t go away you if you turn into well-known, it simply provides extra strain,” Silentó continued. ”And whereas everyone’s taking a look at you, they’re additionally judging you.”
“I don’t know if I can actually be glad, I don’t know if these demons will ever go away.”
In the event you or somebody you recognize wants psychological well being assist, textual content “STRENGTH” to the Disaster Textual content Line at 741-741 to be linked to a licensed disaster counselor.