Dallas rapper Yella Beezy has been convicted of capital murder in the killing of fellow artist and rival MO3. The verdict was delivered exactly six years after the fatal freeway shooting.
After the Nov. 11 verdict, Yella Beezy—whose legal name is Markies Conway—received a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole for orchestrating the killing.
According to The Dallas Morning News, Conway showed no visible reaction before being handcuffed. Several of his supporters, however, left the courtroom in tears.
“I do believe in a higher power and I believe God has a plan,” Dallas County Assistant District Attorney Tommy Adams said of the verdict’s timing, according to the outlet. “It was a lot of sleepless nights for everybody here that was involved, and I believe that this happened for a reason this way.”
Conway’s defense attorney, Toby Shook, said the legal team plans to appeal the conviction.
“We really can’t express the disappointment at the verdict,” he said, per Fox 4. “We’re going to keep fighting. We have excellent appellate points and that will be the next step in the fight.”
Prosecutors Say Yella Beezy Arranged MO3’s Killing
Prosecutors alleged that Conway hired Kewon White to kill MO3, whose birth name was Melvin Noble, in an effort to end the rappers’ longstanding feud.
White was convicted of capital murder in September. Police said he ambushed Noble on Nov. 11, 2020, as Noble drove north on Interstate 35, according to a statement from authorities. Surveillance images released by police showed a masked Black man stepping out of a black Camaro on the interstate. Prosecutors said the gunman fired more than 40 rounds as Noble attempted to escape on foot along the freeway.
During closing arguments, Assistant District Attorney Krystal Biggins told jurors that Devin Brown served as a tipster in the “Ocean’s 11-style plot,” while Jerry Johnson acted as an intermediary who helped route payments from Conway to White, FOX 4 reported.
Both men also face charges related to the shooting.
Fellow rapper Jose Bodega, whose real name is Theodore Thomas, previously testified before a grand jury about the dispute between Noble and Conway. At trial, however, he said that testimony was false, leading prosecutors to designate him as a hostile witness, according to CBS News.
In his final rebuttal, Adams argued that Conway had the “motive, money, and the man” needed to arrange the killing. He pointed to a $40,000 bank withdrawal and repeated calls between Johnson and White.
Defense attorneys countered that Conway had no reason to arrange Noble’s death because both men were successful recording artists.
Shook also accused investigators of pursuing the case with “tunnel vision.” He argued that the prosecution’s case relied on speculation and rap lyrics, according to FOX 4.