Rapper Yella Beezy: What We Know

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A Dallas County jury found rapper Yella Beezy (Markies Conway, 35) guilty of capital murder on Nov. 11, 2026, in the 2020 killing of Dallas rapper MO3 (Melvin Noble), six years to the day. Prosecutors said he paid a gunman; his lawyers called the case speculation. Under Texas law the sentence is automatic: life in prison without parole.

What's confirmed

1. Nov. 11, 2020, around middayMelvin Noble, 28, known as MO3, was shot and killed on Interstate 35 in south Dallas. A driver nearby was wounded and survived. (AP; Dallas County DA, The Justice Journal Vol. 82)
2. Sept. 4, 2026a jury found the gunman, Kewon White, guilty of capital murder in a separate trial; he was sentenced to life without parole. The DA's office said he was the first of several defendants to be tried. (Dallas County DA, The Justice Journal Vol. 82; AP; FOX 4)
3. March 2025Conway was indicted and arrested on a capital murder charge. He pleaded not guilty and denied any role. (NBC DFW; AP; CBS Texas)
4. At trial, prosecutors said the killing grew out of a years-long feud between the two rappers, that Conway paid $40,000 for it, and pointed to a cash withdrawal nine days after the killing. (AP; CBS Texas; FOX 4)
5. His lawyers argued the state's case was speculation built on unreliable witnesses, and said his phone records put him in Frisco, not at a meeting a witness described. "This is capital murder, and the state has brought you a lot of speculation," defense attorney John Gussio told jurors. (AP; FOX 4)
6. Nov. 11, 2026the jury's verdict was unanimous: guilty of capital murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. (AP; NBC DFW; KERA; FOX 4)

Why it's capital murder

• Texas Penal Code § 19.03(a)(3): a murder is capital murder when it is committed "for remuneration or the promise of remuneration," or when a person "employs another to commit the murder" for remuneration. Prosecutors never said Conway fired a shot; the law reaches the person who pays as well as the person who shoots.
• When the state doesn't seek death, a capital murder conviction carries an automatic life sentence without parole. (Texas Penal Code § 12.31; AP; CBS Texas)

What we don't know / what's disputed

• Whether Conway's lawyers will appeal. They haven't said publicly.
• Whether the judge grants Kewon White a new trial. His lawyers filed a motion saying a juror slept through testimony; that is their claim, not a finding. (FOX 4; Baller Alert; HotNewHipHop)
• A third man is charged in the case and awaits trial. He is presumed innocent, and we don't name people who are charged but not convicted.
• The payment, motive and evidence above are what prosecutors said at trial; the defense disputed them.

What happens next

• By about Nov. 18, 2026: the deadline for the judge to rule on White's motion for a new trial (75 days after sentencing under Texas appellate rules). We'll update this video when there's a ruling.
• Any appeal by Conway would go to a Texas court of appeals.

Chapters

1. 0:00Yella Beezy verdict: life without parole
2. 0:40MO3: who he was, Nov. 11, 2020
3. 1:04Yella Beezy trial: the state vs. the defense
4. 1:32Why paying makes it capital murder
5. 1:46MO3 case: the gunman's new-trial motion
6. 2:15Yella Beezy case: where it stands

Sources

1. AP (Jamie Stengle, Kendria Lafleur), Nov. 11, 2026 Reportingclickondetroit.com/entertainment/2026/11/11/rapper-yella-beezy-convicted-of-hiring-gunman-who-fatally-shot-rapper-mo3-on-busy-dallas-interstate/
2. NBC DFW Reportingnbcdfw.com/news/local/jury-deliberations-begin-in-yella-beezy-murder-trial-over-dallas-rapper-mo3s-killing/4104539/
3. KERA News Reportingkera.org/2026/11/11/dallas-rapper-yella-beezy-found-guilty-of-hiring-gunman-to-kill-rival-mo3/
4. FOX 4 Reportingfox4news.com/news/yella-beezy-trial-dallas-rapper-mo3-murder-verdict
5. Complex Reportingcomplex.com/music/a/jaelaniturnerwilliams/yella-beezy-guilty-mo3-murder
6. Dallas County Criminal District Attorney, The Justice Journal Vol. 82 (Sept. 17, 2026) Reportingdallascounty.org/government/district-attorney/blog-posts/2026/09172026-the-justice-journal-vol-82-english.php
7. Texas Penal Code ch. 19 Primary recordstatutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/PE/htm/PE.19.htm
8. FOX 4, Kewon White new-trial motion Reportingfox4news.com/news/kewon-whites-lawyers-seeking-new-trial-over-sleepy-juror
9. Baller Alert, new-trial motion Reportingballeralert.com/iyqr

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Part of What We Know: open cases, confirmed facts only · YouTube playlist