DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announced the conviction of Ricky Lamar Hawk, known as "Silento," for the 2021 murder of his cousin, Frederick Rooks III. Hawk pleaded guilty but mentally ill to charges including voluntary manslaughter and aggravated assault.
The incident occurred on January 21, 2021, when DeKalb County Police responded to a shooting at Deep Shoals Circle and Corners Crossing in Decatur. Officers found Rooks with multiple gunshot wounds; he was pronounced dead at the scene. Evidence included ten bullet casings near the body.
Witnesses reported hearing gunshots, and security footage showed a white BMW SUV leaving the area shortly after. A family member informed police that Rooks was last seen with Hawk in a similar vehicle. The SUV was later identified by a FLOCK camera at Panthersville Road and Flat Shoals Road.
Hawk was arrested on February 1, 2021. During questioning, he admitted to shooting Rooks. Ballistics linked casings from the crime scene to a gun found with Hawk during his arrest. GPS data also placed his vehicle at the crime scene.
Judge Courtney Johnson sentenced Hawk to 30 years in prison following his plea hearing. The case was managed by Senior Assistant District Attorneys Helen Pott and Thomas Williams, Investigator Curtis Averhart, Victim Advocate Kaysha Albritton, and Detective B.R. Smith from DeKalb County Police Department's Homicide and Gangs Unit.