On Wednesday, rapper Yella Beezy was convicted of orchestrating the murder of fellow rapper MO3 during a bold daytime shooting on a crowded Dallas interstate in 2020.
Yella Beezy, age 35, whose birth name is Markies Conway, received a unanimous capital murder verdict from a jury in Dallas County regarding the death of MO3, whose actual name was Melvin Noble. He has been sentenced to life imprisonment without the chance of parole.
In a separate case, a jury found Kewon White guilty of capital murder in connection with the shooting of Noble, resulting in a life sentence without parole as well.
Prosecutors stated that the murder stemmed from a long-standing feud between Conway and Noble, both of whom were residents of Dallas.
Lead prosecutor Tommy Adams expressed gratitude for the jury’s decision, stating, “We don’t know what influenced the jurors’ conclusion… We appreciate the verdict. We believe they made the correct choice today.”
He added, “This has been one of the most difficult cases we’ve dealt with over the past six years.”
Conway is widely recognized for his 2017 hit That’s On Me and the collaboration Bacc At It Again featuring Quavo and Gucci Mane released in 2019.
MO3 had amassed over 800,000 followers on Instagram and gained fame through a 2019 remix of Errybody alongside Baton Rouge rapper Boosie Badazz.
Revenge theory emerged after prior shooting incident
On November 11, 2020, at approximately noon, Noble, 28, was driving on Interstate 35 in south Dallas when White reportedly pulled up beside him and exited his vehicle armed.
According to authorities, Noble then left his car and fled on foot along the highway while White fired at him.
MO3 is shown at a BET Awards event in Los Angeles on June 23, 2018, just over two years before he was shot. (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for BET)
Adams indicated that White was masked and discharged over 40 rounds from an AK-47-style weapon while pursuing Noble.
Authorities reported that White struck both Noble and an innocent bystander inside a vehicle, with the latter surviving, but Noble succumbing to his injuries at a hospital.
Prosecutors claimed that Conway compensated White with $40,000 for the shooting.
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During the closing statements, prosecutors presented jurors with a video showing Conway discussing vengeance in an interview, where he stated he would “get his lick back.” Prosecutor Krystal Biggins linked Noble’s death to a previous shooting incident in which Conway was injured in 2018.
In October 2018, Conway was shot three times while driving on a tollway in the Dallas suburb of Lewisville when another vehicle approached and opened fire.
“This was meant for public awareness,” Biggins stated. “Due to a rap feud, we are here to address capital murder.”
The defense contended that the prosecution failed to establish their case. “This is capital murder, and the state has presented a lot of conjecture,” defense attorney John Gussio stated.