Details of the Crime and Investigation
Silento, whose real name is Ricky Hawk, confessed to shooting his 34-year-old cousin, Frederick Rooks III. DeKalb County Police Department officers discovered Rooks with multiple gunshot wounds on January 21, 2021.
The investigation leading to Silento's arrest revealed critical details: Rooks was last seen alive with Silento in a white BMW SUV. Minutes after the sound of gunshots, security footage from a neighbor's home captured the same white BMW SUV fleeing the scene at high speed. These pieces of evidence proved crucial in connecting the rapper to the crime.
Mental Health Concerns and Prior Incidents
Following Silento's arrest, his PR manager, Chanel Hudson, issued a statement claiming that the rapper "has been suffering from a series of mental health illnesses for the past several years." This statement underscored concerns about his well-being that had surfaced publicly before the tragic event.
Indeed, prior to the shooting incident, Silento had faced other legal troubles. In August 2020, he was charged with two counts of assault after allegedly attacking two individuals with a hatchet in their home. The rapper himself had spoken about his struggles during a 2019 interview on the medical talk show 'The Doctors,' where he revealed, "I have been fighting demons my whole life. I don’t know if these demons will ever go away."
The sentencing marks a somber conclusion to a case that has drawn attention to the intersection of celebrity, mental health, and violent crime. Silento's 30-year term underscores the severity of the charges and the tragic loss of life involved.