Convicted of murdering his cousin, rapper Silentó has been sentenced to 30 years in prison.
The Atlanta native whose 2015 chart-topping ‘Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)’ became a viral dance sensation, pleaded guilty to shooting and killing his relative in 2021.
Prior to taking a plea deal on Wednesday (6.11,) the musician born Ricky Lamar Hawk had been scheduled to stand trial this week over the death of Frederick Rooks.
Pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, gun possession and concealing a death, Silentó claimed he was mentally ill when he committed the crimes. As a result, the manslaughter charge was downgraded from a harsher malice murder count in his indictment, with Georgia prosecutors agreeing to drop another felony murder charge.
Following the plea deal, and with credit given for the four years spent on remand, the presiding judge sentenced Hawk to three decades in prison.
During a post-arrest interview with investigators, the defendant allegedly admitted to killing Rooks and prosecutors say bullet casings recovered from the scene matched a gun found on the rapper when he was apprehended. And according to court filings, the convict was diagnosed with severe bipolar disorder in jail.
A representative for Silentó stated that when he was arrested in 2021 he had been “suffering immensely from a series of mental health illnesses”.
Prosecutors claim the musician shot Rooks multiple times in February 2021 and then fled the scene.
Keep up with the latest trending music news by following us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
Author: Al Denté
Photo: News Of The World