Silento has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the 2021 killing of his cousin, Frederick Rooks.

Silento Sentenced for Cousin’s Murder

On Wednesday (June 11), Silento, born Ricky Hawk, appeared in DeKalb County, Ga., court, where he pleaded guilty but mentally ill to charges related to the fatal shooting. In exchange for his malice murder charge being dropped, Silento pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and concealing the death of another, XXL confirmed via court records.

He received 20 years for the manslaughter charge, while getting five years each for aggravated assault and firearm possession. He was credited for time served since his arrest in February of 2021.

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Silento’s Fame and Legal Issues

Silento rose to stardom in 2015 with his single “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae),” which has been certified platinum six times and has nearly 2 billion streams on YouTube. However, in 2020, he was arrested after walking into a random family’s home with a hatchet looking for his girlfriend. The same year, he was arrested again in Georgia for driving 140 miles per hour.

Silento Charged With Murder

In Februry of 2021, a few weeks after the rapper’s 23 birthday, he was arrested and charged with killing his 34-year-old cousin, Frederick Rooks, who was shot to death that January. Following the arrest, Silento’s publicist released a statement saying Silento has been suffeirng from mental health issues for years and was going through a bi-polar episode when the killing happened. Earlier this year, it was reported that Silento had been deem mentally unfit to stand trial.

XXL has reached out to Silento’s attorney for comment.

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