Yella Beezy, whose legal name is Markies Conway, was found guilty of capital murder for remuneration on Wednesday, November 11. The unanimous verdict resulted in a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Conway, 35, had pleaded not guilty and denied involvement in the killing.
THE WORD
- The verdict: A Dallas County jury convicted Conway of arranging MO3’s killing for payment.
- The victim: MO3, whose legal name was Melvin Noble, was 28 when he was killed.
- The prosecution’s case: Prosecutors said Conway paid gunman Kewon White $40,000 following a longstanding feud.
- The next step: Conway’s defense attorney said he plans to appeal.
WHAT HAPPENED TO MO3?
Noble was driving on Interstate 35 in Dallas around noon on November 11, 2020, when White approached him, according to authorities. After White emerged with a firearm, Noble left his vehicle and ran along the freeway.
Prosecutors said White chased him while firing an AK-47-style pistol. Noble was struck and later died at a hospital. A bystander inside another vehicle was also shot but survived.
The attack unfolded in daylight, placing motorists near the gunfire and turning a public roadway into the scene of a fatal shooting. During Conway’s trial, jurors heard from a doctor who witnessed the attack and stopped to help Noble.
White was separately convicted of capital murder in September and sentenced to life without parole. His conviction preceded the jury’s decision in Conway’s case.
PROSECUTORS POINTED TO A FEUD; THE DEFENSE CHALLENGED THE EVIDENCE
Prosecutors argued that Noble’s death followed years of conflict between the two Dallas artists. They presented the shooting as a planned killing carried out for money.
Conway’s defense disputed that account, arguing that the state relied on speculation and unreliable testimony. Defense attorney Toby Shook challenged prosecutors’ interpretation of financial evidence and raised inconsistencies in a witness’s account of an alleged meeting.
Jurors ultimately rejected the defense’s request for an acquittal. After the verdict, Conway was handcuffed and taken from the courtroom.
TWO ARTISTS, A LASTING LOSS
MO3 built a following through his melodic delivery and emotionally direct music, including his “Errybody” remix with Boosie Badazz. Conway reached national audiences through “That’s On Me” and “Bacc At It Again,” featuring Quavo and Gucci Mane.
Those careers helped bring national attention to the case, but the consequences extend beyond music. Noble lost his life at 28, a bystander survived being shot, and the people who witnessed the attack were drawn into a prosecution that unfolded years later.
Conversation question: What responsibility do artists and the people around them have when public disputes begin escalating into real threats?
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