Silentó Sentenced to 30 Years for Killing Cousin After "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)" Fame

Atlanta rapper Ricky Lamar Hawk, better known as Silentó, was sentenced to 30 years in prison on June 11, 2025, after pleading guilty but mentally ill to voluntary manslaughter and related charges in the fatal shooting of his cousin, Frederick Rooks III, in January 2021.

Police respond to the scene around 3:37 a.m. on January 21, 2021, in Panthersville, Georgia, finding Rooks with multiple gunshot wounds. Surveillance footage and ballistic evidence linked Hawk to the crime, and he admitted to the shooting shortly after being arrested on February 1, 2021.

Prosecutors confirmed that Hawk plead out of a murder charge, entering the lesser plea of voluntary manslaughter along with convictions for aggravated assault, firearm possession during a crime, and concealing a death. The 30-year sentence includes credit for time already served since his arrest. Rooks’ family voiced that the sentence felt insufficient, expressing frustration that the sentence wasn’t harsher .

Hawk rose to global fame in 2015 when his hit "Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)" became a viral sensation. He has since acknowledged his long battle with mental health issues, including depression and anxiety—as he famously told The Doctors in 2019. His legal team cited these struggles during sentencing.

This tragic outcome marks a dramatic fall from grace for the former teen sensation who brought a dance craze to millions, now facing decades behind bars amid a backdrop of family tragedy and mental health challenges.

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