
The singer, who was born Ricky Hawk, was sentenced to death for the 2021 shooting death of his niece Frederick Rooks III.
Rapper Silentó, who was born Ricky Lamar Hawk, has been given a 30-year prison sentence for the 2021 shooting death of his niece Frederick Rooks III. According to Citizens, Hawk, 27, pleaded guilty but intellectually ill to deliberate murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm while committing a crime, concealing the demise of another on June 11 in DeKalb County, Georgia.
In the Panthersville neighborhood, which is east of Atlanta, on January 21, 2021, just before 4 a.m. DeKalb County Police discovered Rooks suffering from bullet wounds. Hawk and Hawk were last seen alive leaving a friend’s home in an SUV that was afterwards seen running away from the crime scene. The DeKalb County Police Department detained Hawk and admitted to the killing in February 2021.

Due to his 2021 arrest for the murder of his aunt, he had several other run-ins with authorities, including an assault on two people with a knife in Los Angeles in 2020.
Chanel Hudson-O’Connor, Hawk’s writer, made an allusion to her employer’s mental health struggles in a statement in 2021. ” Please give my client Silento some positive motions. Ricky has experienced a lot of mental health issues over the past few years. We will continue to seek his care, but we want the general public to pray and be upbeat in the interim.
In a 2019 interview on a physician talk show, Hawk made reference to his own battles with mental illness and said,” I’ve been fighting monsters my entire life. When you become popular, sadness only adds more stress to your situation. He continued,” I don’t know if I can truly be happy, I don’t know if these demons will ever vanish.”
Hudson-O’Connor made a statement following his guilty verdict, which included a text from Hawk about the ruling and what he expects to discover going forward.
“I’ll keep making music and strive to be my best type,” I promise. The singer said in the speech,” I can’t reverse day, but I can provide the moment I’ve been given legally and strive to positively lead to whatever my new culture may be.” I was a teenager when I first started this business, frequently without right guidance or direction. That is not an reason, but it is a reflection of who I am. For both myself and this whole situation, I pray for development, evolution, and the ability to get pardon. God’s blessings on y’all.
The dance sensation” Watch Me ( Whip/Nae Nae ),” a song that was first released on social media and dance floors all over the world, is best known for Hawk, who performs as Silentó.
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Originally sourced via trusted media partner. https://thegrio.com/2025/06/12/rapper-silento-sentenced-in-shooting-death-of-cousin-i-pray-for-growth-ability-to-find-forgiveness/