Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)" creator Ricky "Silentó" Hawk has received a three-decade prison sentence following a shocking family tragedy that ended in bloodshed.

According to AP News, the 27-year-old Atlanta rapper pleaded guilty but mentally ill Wednesday to voluntary manslaughter and other charges in the 2021 shooting death of his 34-year-old cousin, Frederick Rooks III. DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announced the 30-year sentence in a statement after prosecutors dropped the original murder charge as part of a plea agreement.

The case began when DeKalb County police discovered Rooks' body in the early morning hours of January 21, 2021, with gunshot wounds to both his leg and face. Investigators collected ten bullet casings from the scene and obtained security footage showing a white BMW SUV fleeing shortly after the shooting occurred.

Damning Evidence Led To Confession

Family members told investigators that Silentó had picked up Rooks in a white BMW SUV before the killing. This critical testimony, combined with GPS data and surveillance footage, placed the vehicle at the crime scene when the shooting occurred.

Approximately ten days after the murder, Silentó confessed following his arrest. Authorities reported that ballistics testing provided additional evidence linking him to the crime, matching the bullet casings found at the scene to a gun in Silentó's possession when apprehended.

During the sentencing hearing before DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Courtney L. Johnson, Rooks' siblings expressed their belief that Silentó deserved a harsher sentence than what he received. Their testimony underscored the devastation the killing brought to their family, with the loss made more painful by the fact that the perpetrator was also a relative.

Mental Health Struggles Preceded Violence

Silentó skyrocketed to fame in 2015 as a high school junior when his dance hit "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)" became a viral sensation. While he produced additional music afterward, his career became overshadowed by increasingly concerning behavior and public statements about his mental health.

In a revealing 2019 interview on the medical talk show "The Doctors," Silentó spoke candidly about his battle with depression. He described growing up in an environment where he witnessed both mental illness and violence, contributing to his own struggles. "I've been fighting demons my whole life, my whole life," he confessed during the interview.

The rapper also offered insight into how fame complicated his mental health challenges, stating, "Depression doesn't leave you when you become famous, it just adds more pressure. And while everybody's looking at you, they're also judging you." He bleakly added, "I don't know if I can truly be happy, I don't know if these demons will ever go away."

Troubling Pattern Of Incidents

The months leading up to Rooks' killing revealed an escalating pattern of disturbing behavior from the rapper. According to his publicist Chanel Hudson, Silentó had attempted suicide in 2020, highlighting the severity of his mental health crisis.

August 2020 saw Silentó arrested in Santa Ana, California, on domestic violence charges. Just one day later, the Los Angeles Police Department filed more serious charges against him after witnesses reported he had entered a stranger's home searching for his girlfriend and swung a hatchet at two people before being disarmed.

Only months before the fatal shooting, in October 2020, police arrested Silentó after clocking him driving at the dangerous speed of 143 miles per hour on Interstate 85 in DeKalb County. This string of incidents painted a picture of a young man spiraling out of control in the months before the killing.

Why this story matters

This story resonates deeply within communities grappling with issues of mental illness, gun violence, and fading celebrity. The tragic end of a promising young man and the life taken from a loved one further demonstrate how untreated trauma and delayed interventions can have fatal outcomes. It also exposes the gaps in mental health care and the importance of recognizing when fame and personal turmoil intersect. This case is not just a cautionary tale for celebrities—it’s a societal reflection. Finally, it holds value for every reader in underlining how violence, particularly within families, can strike unexpectedly and with irrevocable consequences.

Conclusion

Silentó’s guilty plea on June 11, 2025, marked the end of a legal process stemming from the Jan. 2021 killing of Frederick Rooks III. He admitted to multiple crimes, including voluntary manslaughter and concealing a death, in exchange for a dropped murder charge and a 30-year prison sentence.

Authorities tied him to the crime scene through surveillance, GPS data, and ballistics evidence. His family history, troubling public behavior, and documented mental health issues provide a background to the tragedy but not a justification. What began as an inspiring story of teenage musical fame turned into a cautionary tale filled with pain, missed warnings, and irreversible decisions—not just for the artist himself but for an entire family now left to grieve.