On Wednesday, rapper Yella Beezy was convicted of hiring the shooter responsible for the death of rapper MO3 during a bold daytime attack on a crowded Dallas interstate in 2020.
The 35-year-old artist, whose real name is Markies Conway, was found guilty of capital murder by a unanimous Dallas County jury in the case involving MO3, whose birth name was Melvin Noble. He received a life sentence without the option for parole.
In September, Kewon White was also convicted of capital murder for his role in the fatal shooting of Noble, and he too was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
According to prosecutors, the murder stemmed from a long-standing feud between Conway and Noble, both of whom resided in Dallas.
Lead prosecutor Tommy Adams expressed gratitude for the jury’s decision, stating, “We don’t understand what influenced the jurors’ decision… but we appreciate the verdict. We believe they made the correct choice today.”
He further commented, “This has been one of the most difficult cases in the past six years.”
Conway is widely recognized for his 2017 hit That’s On Me and the 2019 collaboration Bacc At It Again alongside Quavo and Gucci Mane.
Noble boasted over 800,000 followers on Instagram and gained notoriety for his 2019 remix of Errybody featuring Baton Rouge rapper Boosie Badazz.
Revenge theory arises following prior shooting
On November 11, 2020, around noon, Noble was driving on Interstate 35 in south Dallas when White allegedly pulled up next to him. Authorities stated that White exited his vehicle brandishing a firearm.
Noble then exited his own vehicle and attempted to flee on the freeway while White opened fire.
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 revealed that White was masked and discharged over 40 rounds from an AK-47-style pistol while pursuing Noble.
During the incident, White struck both Noble and a bystander in a nearby vehicle. The bystander survived, but Noble succumbed to his injuries at a hospital.
Prosecutors claimed that Conway provided White with $40,000 for the shooting.
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During the closing statements, prosecutors presented jurors with a video of Conway discussing revenge in an interview, where he stated he would “get his lick back.” Prosecutor Krystal Biggins compared Noble’s murder to a shooting incident that left Conway injured in 2018.
In October 2018, Conway survived a shooting while driving on a tollway in Lewisville, a Dallas suburb, when an assailant pulled up beside him and opened fire, hitting him three times.
Biggins remarked, “This was evident for all to see. Over a rap dispute, we are here for capital murder.”
The defense contended that the prosecution failed to substantiate their claims. “This constitutes capital murder, and the state has presented you with mere speculation,” defense attorney John Gussio asserted.