27-year-old Ricky Lamar Hawk, better known as Silento, has been sentenced to 30 years behind bars for the death of his cousin in 2021.
In 2015, a then-17-year-old Silento took over American radiowaves with his hit song ‘Watch Me Whip/Nae Nae.’ The track and its accompanying dance have remained a staple in rap culture ever since.
Six years later on January 21, 2021, Silento reportedly shot and killed his 34-year-old cousin, Frederick Rooks III. Investigators say he admitted to the murder a few days later in questioning.
While the music artist was initially indicted for murder, he pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, concealing the death of another, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. He also said he was mentally ill at the time of the incident.
Silento’s ‘Watch me Whip/Nae Nae’ became a hit overnight when he was just 17 years old.
Silento pleads guilty to killing cousin
On June 11, 2025, DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Courtney Johnson announced that Silento will serve a 30-year prison sentence to atone for the crime.
The DeKalb County District Attorney has not revealed if the murder charge against Silento was affected as a result of his plea, though.
The DA has also not released any motive for the shooting, but shed some details on the events of January 21, 2021 in its statement revealing the trial’s results.
According to the statement, Hawk picked up his cousin from a friend’s house that morning. His white BMW SUV was spotted on camera at 2:45 AM, and its GPS placed the vehicle at the murder scene.
At 3:30, officers arrived at an intersection in DeKalb’s Panthersville area, discovering Rooks with “multiple gunshot wounds.” They also found ten bullet casings near the body, which ballistics testing matched to Hawks’ gun when he was arrested.
