Jury Hands Rapper Yella Beezy A Life Sentence In The Killing Of Rapper MO3

Six years to the day: how MO3 was killed

On Nov. 11, 2020, a gunman chased 28-year-old rapper Melvin Noble — known to fans as MO3 — onto Interstate 35E in Dallas and opened fire. More than 40 rounds were fired. Noble was hit 13 times in broad daylight, in front of stopped motorists.

Dr. Randall Graham, who was driving nearby, ran to help. He told jurors he feared for his life when he came face to face with the masked gunman, but he pushed through injuries from shrapnel and broken glass to perform CPR on Noble.

Investigators found dozens of shell casings at the scene, along with jewelry and $17,960 in cash still inside Noble's car. No firearms were recovered from his vehicle — but guns turned up at the home of one of the men later accused in the killing.

The shooter was identified as Kewon White, then 27. Prosecutors said White didn't act alone — that he was paid to track down and kill Noble as part of a rivalry that had simmered for years.

The feud behind the ambush

Conway and Noble were both rappers from Dallas's Oak Cliff neighborhood. Prosecutors said their rivalry started with a social media exchange in 2017 and escalated from there, spilling into diss tracks and, eventually, violence.

In 2018, Conway was shot three times in a drive-by shooting on the Sam Rayburn Tollway in Lewisville. He reportedly identified Noble's bodyguard as the shooter, but no arrest was ever made in that case.

At trial, prosecutors played lyrics from Conway's music referencing bounties and paying someone to kill, arguing they reflected real intent. Defense attorney John Gussio pushed back, telling jurors both artists were commercially successful 'with no motive to do anything to each other,' and arguing the state was relying on music instead of proof.

"Over a rap beef, we are here for capital murder," — Krystal Biggins, Assistant District Attorney, in closing arguments, according to the Dallas Observer.

Who's who in the case

Markies Conway, 35, performs as Yella Beezy and has opened for Jay-Z and Beyoncé. He was arrested in March 2025 in connection with Noble's killing and pleaded not guilty to capital murder. In 2021, he was separately arrested in Collin County on charges including sexual assault, abandonment of an endangered child, and unlawfully carrying a weapon; those charges were later dismissed.

Melvin Noble, 28, performed as MO3. He was the rival rapper killed in the 2020 ambush.

Kewon White, 27, was the gunman. He was convicted of capital murder in September 2026 and is already serving a sentence of life without parole.

Devin Brown and Jerry Johnson are both charged in connection with Noble's death. Prosecutors describe Brown as a tipster who helped pinpoint Noble's location and Johnson as a middleman who funneled payments to White. Both cases remain pending.

Theodore Thomas, who performs as Jose Bodega and has known Conway for about a decade, testified before the grand jury that indicted Conway, tying him to an alleged $40,000 payment. At trial, he disavowed that account, telling jurors he had lied under oath.

The charge, the plea, the automatic sentence

Conway was charged with capital murder by remuneration — the legal term for a killing carried out for payment or the promise of payment. The judge gave jurors no lesser charge to consider: it was guilty or not guilty on that single count.

Conway pleaded not guilty and denied involvement throughout the 11-day trial, which began with jury selection on Oct. 26, 2026, and opening statements the next day.

The jury received the case Wednesday morning, Nov. 11 — six years to the day after Noble's murder — and returned a unanimous guilty verdict that same day. Under Texas law, the conviction for capital murder carries an automatic sentence: life in prison without the possibility of parole. Conway was sentenced immediately, with no separate punishment phase for the jury to weigh.

No members of Noble's family gave victim impact statements. White, the gunman, received the identical sentence — life without parole — after his September 2026 conviction.

What prosecutors and the defense told the jury

In closing, Assistant District Attorney Krystal Biggins showed jurors an old interview clip in which subtitles quoted Conway saying, 'I'ma get my lick back. I don't give a fuck. Ain't no walking away,' according to the Dallas Observer. 'This was for the world to see,' she told jurors. 'Over a rap beef, we are here for capital murder,' the Dallas Observer reported.

Prosecutor Tommy Adams defended the state's use of Conway's lyrics as evidence. 'I'm not sitting here prosecuting rap. I'm a huge fan of rap,' he said. 'I'm prosecuting actions,' he told the Dallas Morning News.

Defense attorney Toby Shook argued the state never cleared reasonable doubt. 'You don't have to like him. You can think he's probably guilty,' he told jurors, according to the Dallas Morning News. In his final closing, he added, 'There's reasonable doubt raised all over this case. They cannot overcome it... I'll plead with you. Follow your oath. Follow what you promise to do,' according to FOX 4.

After the verdict, Adams told FOX 4, 'I think that they got it right today. So, we're happy about it, of course.' Shook told FOX 4 the defense was already preparing an appeal: 'We really can't express the disappointment at the verdict. We're going to keep fighting. We have excellent appellate points and that will be the next step in the fight.'

What happens next

Devin Brown and Jerry Johnson still face capital murder charges in connection with Noble's killing — the Dallas Observer reported Brown's trial was expected this month, while the Dallas Morning News put it later this year. Toby Shook, Conway's attorney, has said he plans to appeal the conviction, meaning the case is likely headed to a Texas appeals court even as Conway begins serving his life sentence.