American rapper and singer, Silento, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder of his cousin, Frederick Rooks III.
The 27-year-old entertainer, whose real name is Richard Lamar Hawk, was handed the sentence after pleading guilty to charges of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm.
According to a report by Daily Post, Silento admitted in 2021 to fatally shooting his 34-year-old cousin, an incident that shocked fans and the entertainment industry.
The DeKalb County Police Department revealed that Rooks was discovered with multiple gunshot wounds on January 21, 2021. Prior to the arrest, investigations had shown that Silento and the deceased were last seen together in a white BMW SUV.
Security footage from a neighbour’s home captured the same white BMW SUV speeding away from the scene shortly after the gunfire, further strengthening suspicions against the rapper.
Reacting to his arrest, Silento’s public relations manager, Chanel Hudson, issued a statement claiming that the artiste had been battling several mental health conditions for years.
It was gathered that before the shooting incident, the rapper had a brush with the law in August 2020, when he was charged with two counts of assault after allegedly attacking two individuals with a hatchet inside their residence.
In a 2019 appearance on the medical talk show The Doctors, Silento opened up about his struggles with mental health, stating, “I have been fighting demons my whole life. I don’t know if these demons will ever go away.”
Silento rose to fame in 2015 with his hit single Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae), which went viral and earned him global recognition.
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