Markies Conway
Introduction
Markies Conway, the Dallas rapper known as Yella Beezy, was convicted of capital murder on November 11, 2026 for his role in the 2020 shooting death of rival rapper MO3, and was immediately sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole . A Dallas County jury returned the unanimous guilty verdict on the sixth anniversary of the murder itself, after roughly six hours of deliberation . Prosecutors said Conway hired Kewon White to carry out the killing of MO3, whose real name was Melvin Noble, over a long-running feud .
Background Information
MO3 was shot and killed on Interstate 35 in Dallas on November 11, 2020, in what prosecutors described as an ambush; video released by prosecutors showed the rapper being chased down by a hitman before he was shot eleven times . Conway was accused of paying Kewon Dontrell White to carry out the murder, and White was convicted of capital murder in September 2026 and sentenced to life in prison after a jury viewed video of the shooting and heard testimony about an alleged payment from Conway . Conway pleaded not guilty and denied involvement in the killing; his trial was delayed by a month so his lawyers could obtain a copy of White’s trial transcript . A third defendant, Devin Brown, is also charged with capital murder in the case and was still awaiting trial .
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life without parole.
At trial, Assistant District Attorney Krystal Biggins described what she called an “Ocean’s 11”-style plot: shooter Kewon White ambushing Noble on I-35 and firing more than 40 rounds, while Conway placed a bounty on Noble and used tipster Devin Brown and middleman Jerry Johnson to coordinate and funnel payments to White. Biggins pointed to wire transfers, seized cash, and testimony from Cedric Bradley, who said White bragged about the murder and demanded payment . Prosecutor Tommy Adams, in final rebuttal, urged jurors to focus on “motive, money, and the man,” citing Conway’s return to North Texas, a $40,000 cash withdrawal, and fifteen calls between Johnson and White that coincided with Conway’s meetings .
The defense argued the state’s case was built on assumptions and lies. Attorney Toby Shook attacked star witness Theodore Thomas’s conflicting testimony, noting cell data placed Conway in Frisco rather than at an alleged barbershop meeting, and contrasted Conway’s habit of withdrawing crisp $50 and $100 bills for family expenses with the rubber-banded, low-denomination street cash White possessed . Attorney John Gussio argued both artists were successful and lacked motive, directed jurors toward Brown, who logged 46 calls with White around the shooting, and dismissed Bradley’s testimony as a rehearsed bid to dodge a federal life sentence .
Judge Chika Anyiam dismissed jurors for the night after closing arguments and instructed them not to discuss the case; during deliberations they asked to review rap lyrics, FBI reports, and financial statements before reaching their unanimous verdict at around 2:40 p.m. on November 11 . Conway was convicted of capital murder by remuneration — a killing committed for payment — which under Texas law carries an automatic sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, and he was immediately sentenced .
Public Reaction and Consequences
Some people in the courtroom stormed out after the verdict was read and others began weeping; no members of Noble’s family offered victim impact statements, and Conway was cuffed and taken away . Speaking to reporters afterward, prosecutor Tommy Adams thanked the jurors and said, “I think that they got it right today,” and, asked whether the verdict’s arrival on the anniversary of Noble’s death was intentional, said he believed “this happened for a reason this way” . Defense attorney Toby Shook said the defense could not express its disappointment at the verdict and was already planning an appeal: “We’re going to keep fighting. We have excellent appellate points and that will be the next step in the fight” .
Current Status
Conway was booked into the Dallas County jail following the verdict, and his mugshot was released; the jail process came two days after the jury found him guilty, and he faced transfer to a Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison unit . His life sentence without the possibility of parole is effectively final at the trial level, with the announced appeal the remaining avenue . Co-defendant Devin Brown still faces his own capital murder trial, and White, the convicted shooter, has himself filed an appeal and sought a new trial over an allegedly sleepy juror .
Impact on Their Career/Life
At the peak of a career his own defense attorneys described as that of a successful artist, Conway now faces the rest of his life in prison with no possibility of parole, an outcome that ends his recording and performing career outright . The case stands as one of the highest-profile murder convictions in recent Dallas music history: a local rap feud that began as competition ended with one artist dead on a freeway and another condemned to die in prison, six years almost to the day after the killing .