Yella Beezy Convicted And Sentenced To Life In Rapper MO3's Killing

The killing on I-35E

Yella Beezy, born Markies Conway, and MO3, born Melvin Noble, were both rappers from Dallas's Oak Cliff neighborhood. Their rivalry started publicly in 2017, playing out in diss tracks and arguments on social media, according to the Dallas Observer.

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

On Nov. 11, 2020, Noble, 28, was ambushed on Interstate 35E in Dallas. Prosecutors said the gunman staked out an apartment for 18 hours before chasing Noble onto the highway in the middle of the day, firing more than 40 rounds and striking him 13 times. Noble tried to run but died of his injuries; a bystander was also shot and survived, according to the Los Angeles Times and FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth.

Noble, known for his double-platinum 2020 single 'Broken Love,' was killed exactly six years before the jury in Conway's trial returned its verdict, the Los Angeles Times and CBS News both noted.

Eleven days in a Dallas courtroom

Jury selection ran all day on Oct. 26, 2026, seating 12 jurors and three alternates; some potential jurors were struck over past weapons charges, and one was excused after saying he didn't think his conscience could handle the case, CBS News reported. Opening statements followed on Oct. 27.

Prosecutors called a Federal Reserve Bank of New York official who testified about marked currency, a West Hollywood hotel employee who confirmed Conway was listed on a reservation around the time of the killing, and a Mount Pleasant police officer who described a traffic stop that turned up guns, drugs and nearly $10,000 in cash tied to shooter Kewon White.

Investigators testified that no firearms were found inside Noble's car, but guns were recovered from the home of one of the three men accused in the killing. Crime-scene photos showed dozens of shell casings, damaged vehicles, jewelry and $17,960 in cash recovered from Noble's vehicle, according to CBS News.

Dr. Randall Graham, who witnessed the shooting and performed CPR on Noble despite being struck by shrapnel and broken glass himself, also testified. Jocelyn Jackson, who has children with both Conway and co-defendant Devin Brown and knew Noble personally, testified but gave conflicting answers about whether Conway and Noble actually had a feud, CBS News reported.

The prosecution rested its case Nov. 9. The defense rested the afternoon of Nov. 10, after calling digital-forensics expert Brian Ingram, who conceded under cross-examination that cell tower records can show where a phone was but not who was holding it.

Jurors got the case Wednesday morning, Nov. 11, and returned a guilty verdict for capital murder that afternoon.

"This was for the world to see. Over a rap beef, we are here for capital murder." — Krystal Biggins, Dallas County assistant district attorney, in closing arguments, via the Dallas Observer.

Who's who in the case

Markies Conway, 35, performs as Yella Beezy and is best known for his 2017 song 'That's On Me.' He pleaded not guilty to capital murder and denied any involvement in Noble's killing.

Kewon White was the gunman who shot Noble on I-35E. He was convicted of capital murder in September 2026 and sentenced to life without parole; prosecutors say Conway paid him to carry out the killing.

Devin Brown, also charged with capital murder in connection with the shooting, is awaiting his own trial, which the Dallas Observer reported was expected to begin later this month.

Theodore Thomas, who performs as Jose Bodega and has known Conway for about a decade, testified as a hostile witness after recanting earlier grand jury testimony that linked Conway to an alleged $40,000 payment. He told the court he gave that earlier account because he was facing a potential life sentence of his own in a federal case.

Prosecutors Krystal Biggins and Tommy Adams, both Dallas County assistant district attorneys, tried the case for the state under District Attorney John Creuzot. Toby Shook and John Gussio represented Conway. Judge Chika Anyiam presided.

The charges, the verdict and the sentence

Conway was indicted on a single count of capital murder, under the theory that he intentionally caused Noble's death for remuneration — paying or promising to pay for the killing. The jury charge included no lesser offense; jurors had to decide unanimously, guilty or not guilty, on that one count.

The jury convicted Conway Wednesday. Because prosecutors did not seek the death penalty, Texas law made the sentence automatic: life in prison without the possibility of parole, which Judge Anyiam imposed immediately after the verdict, CBS News reported.

Separately, in 2021, Conway was arrested in Collin County on three unrelated charges — sexual assault, abandonment of an endangered child and unlawfully carrying a weapon. Those charges were later dismissed, CBS News reported.

Shook told the Dallas Morning News, as reported by the Los Angeles Times, that Conway intends to appeal.

The closing arguments behind the clip

The Facebook post that likely brought readers here called a moment from closing arguments "the craziest closing argument of all time" and framed it as newly viral. None of the five outlets that covered this trial — the Los Angeles Times, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, the Dallas Observer, CBS News or FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth — described any clip as having gone viral. What they documented in detail is what each side actually told the jury.

Assistant District Attorney Krystal Biggins opened the state's closing by showing jurors a screenshot from an old interview in which subtitles quoted Conway saying, "I'ma get my lick back. I don't give a fuck. Ain't no walking away." She then played lines from his music before telling jurors, "This was for the world to see. Over a rap beef, we are here for capital murder," according to the Dallas Observer.

Prosecutor Tommy Adams delivered the state's rebuttal, asking jurors to weigh motive, money and what he called "the man." He pointed to a 57-hour return trip Conway made to North Texas, a $40,000 cash withdrawal hours after landing, and 15 phone calls between a middleman and White in a narrow window — preceded by zero calls between the two before the killing, FOX 4 reported.

Defense attorney Toby Shook countered that the state's case rested on speculation, coerced testimony and investigator "tunnel vision." "We're not required to prove anything," he told jurors, according to the Dallas Observer. "That burden, by law, always rests on the prosecution. They have all the resources and power. The government has to prove all its elements laid out in the indictment. The state says 'some kind of feud' started all this. We know they can't prove that … That's a reasonable doubt they can never overcome." He closed, per FOX 4: "There's reasonable doubt raised all over this case. They cannot overcome it. They can't make you assume guilt. They can't overcome it. I'll plead with you. Follow your oath. Follow what you promise to do."

Co-counsel John Gussio argued both rappers were commercially successful with "no motive to do anything to each other," and pointed instead to a separate dispute between Noble and co-defendant Devin Brown, FOX 4 reported.

What each side has said since the verdict

Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot said in a statement, "For six years, Melvin Noble's family has lived with the devastating loss of their loved one. Today, on the anniversary of his death, we hope this verdict brings them some measure of peace," according to the Los Angeles Times.

Assistant District Attorney Tommy Adams told NBC 5, "I remember getting the call that day when Melvin was on the highway, and, I can't thank everybody enough for the support. And I know the family is just, forever grateful for everybody's hard work, you know, tireless effort to get a just verdict."

Toby Shook told NBC 5 after sentencing, "We really can't express the disappointment at the verdict. We're going to keep fighting. We have excellent appellate points, and that'll be the next step in the fight."

NBC 5 reported that after the verdict, Conway asked to kiss his young son, who left the courtroom in tears, and that Conway "fell out" in the back hallway once he was taken into custody.

What happens next

Devin Brown, the third man charged with capital murder in connection with MO3's killing, is awaiting his own trial, which the Dallas Observer reported was expected to begin later this month. Toby Shook has said Conway's defense team will appeal the conviction and life sentence, though no appellate filing date has been reported in the coverage reviewed here.