Yella Beezy Found Guilty of Capital Murder in Mo3 Killing
Yella Beezy Found Guilty of Capital Murder in Mo3 Killing
A Dallas jury on Wednesday found Yella Beezy guilty of capital murder in the 2020 killing of fellow rapper Mo3, ending a closely watched murder-for-hire trial exactly six years to the day after Mo3 was shot dead on a Dallas highway. Because prosecutors did not seek the death penalty, the rapper was sentenced immediately to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The unanimous verdict came after several hours of deliberation in Dallas County, following about two weeks of testimony. Judge Chika Anyiam read the verdict in the courtroom and imposed the sentence at once, the only sentence available under Texas law for the charge once the state waives the death penalty.
The verdict in Dallas
Yella Beezy, whose legal name is Markies Conway, 35, had pleaded not guilty and denied any involvement in the killing. Prosecutors accused him of paying another man, Kewon White, to gun down Mo3, whose real name was Melvin Noble, after a long-running feud between the two Dallas rappers.
According to WFAA, many people in the courtroom were crying as the verdict was read, including the rapper’s young son. The prosecutor also announced there will not be any victim impact statements.
“Thank you for remaining respectful [during this process],” the judge told the jurors, according to XXL.
Conway can still appeal the verdict, and his defense team is expected to do so. A third defendant in the case, Devin Brown, is also charged with capital murder and is scheduled to go on trial later this month.
The killing of Mo3
Mo3 was shot 11 times in Dallas on November 11, 2020, after being chased and ambushed on Interstate 35 in broad daylight. He was rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He was 28.
Prosecutors told jurors that Conway paid Kewon White $40,000 to carry out the fatal shooting. The payment, they said, was made on November 20, 2020, nine days after the shooting. White was convicted of capital murder in September 2026 and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
The case had followed both artists’ names for six years. Mo3, one of Dallas’s most prominent rappers, had built a national following with a string of melodic street records, while Beezy rose to national attention in 2018 with his breakout single “That’s On Me.” The two had feuded publicly for years, and prosecutors said that feud was the motive for the killing.
What the jury heard
The trial lasted about two weeks, with 11 days of testimony. It opened with Mo3’s mother, Nicole Noble, recalling the day she learned her son had been shot. She told the court she rushed to the hospital and waited for hours before receiving the news that he had died. She also testified that she urged authorities to investigate four people after her son’s death, including Beezy, fellow rapper Trapboy Freddy, and Mo3’s manager, Brandon Rainwater.
Prosecutors presented dashcam footage of the shooting, along with testimony from a retired medical examiner who performed Mo3’s autopsy, two women who were on the highway when the shooting happened, and one of the first responders who answered the call. Another witness, Jocylynn Jackson, testified that she was in a relationship with Mo3 when he was murdered.
Justin O’Donnell, a supervisor with the Dallas Police Department’s Crime Scene Unit, testified about the physical evidence gathered at the scene, including expensive jewelry and $17,960 in cash from Mo3’s bullet-riddled car that was scattered across the floorboards, which had been visibly damaged by gunfire. O’Donnell said investigators found no firearms inside the rapper’s vehicle.
One of the trial’s most dramatic turns came on its third day, when Beezy’s longtime friend Theodore Thomas, also known as rapper Jose Bodega, took the stand and repeatedly pleaded the Fifth. Prosecutors said Thomas had previously answered grand jury questions that led to Beezy’s indictment. On the fourth day, Thomas testified that he had lied in his grand jury testimony and claimed he made up the Beezy and Mo3 feud. Beezy’s attorney argued Thomas told authorities “what they wanted to hear” under threats of being hit with racketeering charges in his own drug and firearms case.
Another childhood friend of Beezy, Cedric Bradley, also testified against the rapper as part of a proffer agreement. He told the jury that Kewon White confessed to killing Mo3 and was angry that he did not get paid like he was promised. Bradley did not identify Beezy as the person responsible for the payment. Prosecutors, however, alleged that Beezy provided $40,000 for the hit. The jury also watched an old VladTV interview in which Beezy vowed retaliation after being shot in 2015 and denied knowing Mo3.
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The defense called multiple witnesses, including Lynn M. Scott, a veteran marketing executive who worked closely with Beezy at his record label, Hitco Entertainment, in 2020. She testified that the rapper often withdrew large sums of money to cover recording and marketing expenses. Under cross-examination, prosecutor Tommy Adams asked Scott why she text messaged Beezy to “strategize” and “craft a response” before Mo3 was declared dead after he was shot. “I’m a marketer, I thought he should be prepared,” she responded. Beezy’s aunt and cousin also testified, describing the rapper as generous and saying he frequently handed out gifts and offered financial support.
Closing arguments on Tuesday, November 10, were eventful. Prosecutors rapped lyrics from Beezy’s songs in court, while a defense attorney read text messages aloud. Judge Anyiam then told the jury that statements made before the grand jury were inadmissible as proof regarding the validity of the claims against Beezy, and deliberations began on Wednesday morning.
Why this matters
The verdict closes one of the most closely followed hip-hop murder cases in the United States. Mo3’s killing in 2020 shocked the Dallas rap scene and became part of a grim pattern of violence involving young rappers, a pattern that has drawn national attention to the intersection of street feuds, fame, and the music industry.
For prosecutors, the conviction is a major win in a case built largely on circumstantial evidence — phone records, financial transactions, and the testimony of cooperating witnesses — after the man accused of pulling the trigger was already convicted. For the defense, the appeal will likely focus on the credibility of witnesses such as Thomas and Bradley, whose accounts shifted during the proceedings.
The case is also the latest in a run of high-profile American courtroom outcomes this week. In a separate federal case, a suspect in the $100 million Brink’s jewelry heist agreed to plead guilty to robbery, while the verdict came two days after another celebrity courtroom case ended, when Russell Brand was sentenced to 10 and a half years in prison for rape and sexual assault.
Latest developments
Conway was taken into custody immediately after sentencing. His legal team has not yet announced the grounds for an appeal, but an appeal is available to him under Texas law.
Devin Brown, the third defendant charged in connection with Mo3’s death, is scheduled to go on trial later in November. Prosecutors have not said whether Brown’s trial will proceed on the same schedule now that Conway has been convicted.
Mo3’s family has not issued a public statement since the verdict. The prosecutor’s office confirmed there will be no victim impact statements in the case.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Yella Beezy convicted of?
Yella Beezy, whose legal name is Markies Conway, was convicted of capital murder by remuneration — murder for hire — in the November 2020 killing of rapper Mo3. Prosecutors said Conway paid Kewon White $40,000 to shoot Mo3 on Interstate 35 in Dallas.
What sentence did Yella Beezy receive?
He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Because prosecutors did not seek the death penalty, life without parole was the only sentence available under Texas law, and the judge imposed it immediately after the verdict was read.
Who was Mo3?
Mo3, whose real name was Melvin Noble, was a Dallas rapper who was 28 when he was killed on November 11, 2020. He was one of the city’s most prominent rap artists, known for melodic street records, and had been feuding with Yella Beezy for years before his death.
What happens next in the case?
Conway can appeal his conviction. A third defendant, Devin Brown, is also charged with capital murder in connection with Mo3’s death and is scheduled to go on trial later in November. The gunman, Kewon White, was convicted in September 2026 and is serving life in prison without parole.
Final paragraph
The jury’s verdict brings a measure of legal closure to a killing that has hung over Dallas hip-hop for six years, landing on the very anniversary of Mo3’s death. Whether the conviction survives appeal, and what happens when Devin Brown faces trial later this month, will determine whether this week’s verdict is the final word in the case.
Sources: XXL; AllHipHop; ItsBizkit (citing FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth, WFAA, CBS News Texas, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, The Dallas Morning News); Baller Alert; The Beat DFW.
