Rapper Silentó Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Cousin's Fatal Shooting
Silentó, the 27-year-old rapper behind the 2015 viral hit "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)," has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role in the fatal shooting of his 34-year-old cousin, Frederick Roots III, in January 2021. Silentó, whose real name is Ricky Hawk, pleaded guilty but mentally ill to voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, possessing a gun while committing a crime, and concealing the death of another as part of a plea deal that dropped a murder charge.
Key Takeaways:
- Silentó was 23 when he was arrested by DeKalb County police and charged with the murder of his 34-year-old cousin, Frederick Roots III, in January 2021.
- Police found 10 bullet casings near Rooks's body and security video from a nearby home showed a white BMW SUV speeding away shortly after the gunshots.
- Silentó confessed about 10 days later, after he was arrested, police said, and ballistics testing matched the bullet casings to a gun that Silentó had when he was arrested.
- Silentó struggled with depression and had grown up in a family where he witnessed mental illness and violence, as he said in an interview with the medical talk show The Doctors in 2019.
- Silentó had been struggling with his mental health in the months before the arrest and had tried to kill himself in 2020, according to his publicist.
- Silentó made multiple other albums, but his music career was overshadowed by his personal struggles and the fatal shooting of his cousin.
Statistics:
- 30 years: The length of Silentó's prison sentence
- 10 days: The amount of time it took Silentó to confess after his arrest
- 10 bullet casings: The number of bullet casings found near Rooks's body
- 34 years old: The age of Frederick Roots III at the time of his death
- 2020: The year Silentó attempted to kill himself
- 2021: The year Frederick Roots III was fatally shot
Sources:
- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
- The Doctors
- The Associated Press
- Chanel Hudson, Silentó's publicist