Ricky “Silentó” Hawk was arrested on February 1 in DeKalb County, Georgia on a felony murder charge. The “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)” performer is accused of killing his own cousin, Frederick Rooks, on January 21.
Silentó’s publicist came forward to say the 23-year-old Atlanta area native has been suffering from mental health issues. Hawk was arrested several times over the last seven months, including an assault with a deadly weapon charge in California.
It appears members of Silentó’s camp are concerned about his well being while he is being held in jail without bail. The rapper’s entertainment attorney, Bernie Lawrence-Watkins, told TMZ that Silentó needs a psychiatric evaluation as soon as possible.
While Lawrence-Watkins does not currently believe Silentó would try and take his own life, the lawyer also called for her client to be watched closely. The “one-hit wonder” spoke about battling depression on an episode of The Doctors talk show in 2019.
“I’ve been fighting demons my whole life. I was born with weed, coke, heroin, pills, all type of drugs in my system,” said Silentó on the syndicated daytime program. He later added, “I have felt like I’ve been depressed my whole life.”