A Dallas County jury convicted rapper Yella Beezy of capital murder Wednesday for arranging the killing of fellow Dallas rapper MO3 in 2020. Judge Chikya Anyiam sentenced Yella Beezy, whose legal name is Markies Conway, to life in prison without parole. The verdict came six years to the day after MO3, born Melvin Noble, was killed on Interstate 35E in Dallas.
The Dallas County district attorney’s office said Conway arranged and financed the killing. Prosecutors argued at trial that he paid Kewon White $40,000. Conway pleaded not guilty, and his lawyers argued the state had built its case on speculation. A separate jury convicted White in September for carrying out the killing.
What the Dallas jury decided
Conway was tried on a capital murder charge based on hiring someone to kill Noble. Texas Penal Code Section 19.03 covers both a person who commits a murder for payment or a promise of payment and a person who hires someone to commit one on those terms. The verdict in Conway’s trial addressed who arranged the killing. White’s September conviction addressed who carried it out.
Texas sentencing law requires life without parole for a capital felony committed as an adult when the state does not seek the death penalty. In Conway’s case, Anyiam imposed the life sentence after jurors returned their verdict.
During closing arguments, prosecutors pointed to a yearslong dispute between the two rappers and played part of an interview in which Conway talked about revenge. His defense disputed the state’s interpretation of the evidence and argued prosecutors had failed to prove the charge. District Attorney John Creuzot said after the verdict that he hoped it brought some peace to Noble’s family.
The 2020 killing and White’s earlier case
Noble, 28, was driving in Dallas on Nov. 11, 2020, when he was attacked on I-35E. Prosecutors said he was shot after getting out of his vehicle. A bystander was wounded and survived. Noble was known for his “Errybody” remix with Boosie Badazz. Conway’s releases included “That’s On Me” and “Bacc At It Again,” with Quavo and Gucci Mane.
White was sentenced to life without parole after his separate state conviction. He had previously pleaded guilty in a federal firearms case. The U.S. attorney’s office for the Northern District of Texas said in November 2022 that he received 105 months for that offense while the Dallas County murder charge was still pending. The federal sentence and the two later capital murder convictions came from separate proceedings.
