‘Watch Me’ rapper Silento charged with killing cousin
The rapper was arrested after police viewed video from the security cameras of several neighboring residences.
Rapper Silento, born Richard Hawk, was arrested and charged Monday with the murder of Frederick Rooks, his cousin, in DeKalb County, Georgia.
He was charged with one count of murder and is being held without bond.
Police responded to a call about gunshots being fired, and upon their arrival, they found Rooks dead at the scene.
According to a report from the The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, police gathered video from the security cameras of several neighboring residences. The footage showed several cars fleeing the scene. “After a thorough investigation, DKPD detectives identified Hawk as Rooks’ cousin and the person responsible for Rooks’ murder,” police spokeswoman Michaela Vincent said.
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Hawk has had several interactions with police in the past year. In August, the 22-year-old was arrested twice in one week on domestic violence charges. The incidents occurred in Los Angeles, where police responded to a domestic disturbance. He was booked and released; then, the next day, he was arrested after showing up at a home wielding a hatchet, claiming he was looking for his girlfriend.
Just two months later, in October, Hawk was arrested after police clocked him driving 143 mph on an Atlanta highway. According to the incident report, he claimed he was being followed.
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“If there is like 10 cars following me, I can do 143 because I am not a regular person, and you could go look on your computer and it would tell you that,” the incident report said the rapper contended as he tried to justify his excessive speed with his celebrity status.
Silento gained fame as a teenager when he recorded “Watch Me” and posted it to YouTube, a viral dance song that has been viewed more than 1.8 billion times. He told The AJC he released the song to prove his classmates wrong after losing a school talent show.
His album, “Fresh Outta High School,” was released in August 2018.
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