Conway, who performs as the rapper Yella Beezy, is on trial in Dallas on a capital murder charge. Prosecutors allege he paid a gunman to kill the rapper Melvin Noble, known as Mo3, on Interstate 35E in November 2020. He has pleaded not guilty.
Jury selection in Conway's capital murder trial began Oct. 26, 2026, before State District Judge Chika Anyiam, and 12 jurors and three alternates were seated after more than eight hours.1112 On Oct. 27, after one juror was excused over a child care issue and replaced by an alternate, prosecutor Tommy Adams told jurors the killing was an "orchestrated murder-for-hire," and defense attorney Toby Shook argued the state's case rests on gaps, assumptions and investigative "tunnel vision."56 In the first week of testimony, jurors heard from witnesses on the highway, crime scene and forensic investigators, digital examiners and a firearms examiner, who testified that none of the guns seized in the investigation matched the 44 cartridge cases from the scene.87 A rapper who had testified before the grand jury that indicted Conway invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in response to nearly every material question.89 The trial comes about seven weeks after a jury convicted Kewon White, whom prosecutors call the gunman, of capital murder.18
Conway has not been convicted. Everything in this section about his role is an allegation by prosecutors, or testimony at trial, which is evidence, not a finding. He has pleaded not guilty and is presumed innocent.1112
Melvin Noble, 28, who performed as Mo3, was driving on Interstate 35 in south Dallas on Nov. 11, 2020, the AP reported.25 Authorities allege the gunman pulled up beside him, got out with a gun and fired as Noble ran south along the freeway.25 Noble and a bystander in a nearby car were shot; the bystander survived, and Noble died at a hospital.2514 He had become known for a 2019 remix of “Errybody” with the Baton Rouge rapper Boosie Badazz, according to the AP.25
Police identified Kewon Dontrell White as the suspect, and an arrest warrant says witnesses saw a man shoot Noble and flee in a black Chevrolet Camaro, the Los Angeles Times reported.26 A Dallas County grand jury indicted White on a murder charge in February 2021.27 In a separate federal case, he pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and was sentenced on Nov. 8, 2022, to 105 months in prison; the U.S. Attorney’s Office noted then that the state murder charge was pending and that he was presumed innocent of it.4
White was tried first. At his trial, an FBI agent testified that evidence and cellphone records showed White waited outside Noble’s apartment for 18 hours and then followed him onto the interstate, Oxygen reported.17 On Sept. 4, 2026, a jury found White guilty of capital murder after about three hours of deliberation, and Judge Chika Anyiam sentenced him to life without parole.18 White did not testify.18 His lawyers argued that prosecutors had proved murder but not murder for hire, Oxygen reported.17 They are now seeking a new trial, and he has filed an appeal.5
A Dallas County grand jury indicted Conway in March 2025 on a charge of capital murder, accusing him of hiring White to kill Noble.25 According to the indictment as reported by the Los Angeles Times, he “intentionally and knowingly” caused Noble’s death by hiring the shooter to “murder [Noble] for remuneration and the promise of remuneration.”26 Texas law makes murder a capital offense when a person “employs another to commit the murder for remuneration or the promise of remuneration.”2 Dallas police arrested Conway on March 20, 2025.18 A third man was indicted in the case in late March 2025 and also faces a capital murder charge; he has pleaded not guilty and has not been tried.2417
Prosecutors allege the killing grew out of a feud between Conway and Noble that began in 2017, and that Conway paid White $40,000.1712 At White’s trial, prosecutors said that after the shooting Conway flew back to Dallas and withdrew $40,000 from his bank account after White complained he had not been paid, Oxygen reported.17 The lead prosecutor, Tommy Adams, called White “expendable” and “disposable.”17
Conway’s bond was set at $2 million.26 His lawyers asked for $250,000, saying he was a lifelong Dallas County resident and not a flight risk; the bond was cut to $750,000, and he was released on March 28, 2025.24 His conditions include house arrest with an ankle monitor, surrender of his passport, no weapons, and no contact with witnesses, victims or co-defendants.24 A judge later allowed him to record in a studio one day a week.22
The trial was first set for Feb. 2, 2026, under an agreement between defense attorney Toby Shook and prosecutors.23 It was postponed after the defense said it needed more time to review discovery that it said exceeded 16 terabytes.21 In July 2026, after a hearing over several days, Anyiam ruled on whether prosecutors could play rap songs for the jury.2019 Dallas police detective Eric Barnes testified that Conway had said in a song during the feud that he put a bounty on Noble, and, asked whether the rappers were playing characters, said, “They do have a stage name, but I would not say they are playing a character.”20 A defense expert testified that rappers play characters and that their lyrics should not be used against them.20 Anyiam allowed two of Conway’s songs and one of Noble’s that “seemingly speak to their feud,” and excluded songs prosecutors offered as motive and an Instagram live video Conway made the day of the killing.19
Jury selection was set for Sept. 14, 2026, but Anyiam granted a defense motion to postpone, which prosecutors did not oppose.16 The defense said several of its expert witnesses were unavailable and asked to review the transcript of White’s trial first.1615 Shook, Michael Mowla and John Gussio represent Conway; Adams, Ricardo Vela and Sharonda Davis are prosecuting.15
Under Texas law, an adult convicted of capital murder in a case in which the state does not seek death must be sentenced to life without parole; where the state seeks death, the sentence is life without parole or death.3 Pretrial reporting described Conway’s possible punishment as life without parole or death.2219 Reporting at jury selection and during the trial said he faces up to life in prison if convicted.138 No court filing or prosecutor’s statement on whether the state is seeking death was found in the sources reviewed.
Jury selection on Oct. 26, 2026, took more than eight hours; some potential jurors were excused because of weapons charges in their records, and one because he said his conscience could not handle it.11 Twelve jurors and three alternates were seated.11 On the morning of Oct. 27, Anyiam excused one juror over a child care issue, and an alternate took the seat.5
In his opening statement, Adams called the case an “orchestrated murder-for-hire” that grew out of a feud of several years, and said the state would present surveillance footage, travel logs and text messages, much of it from federal and state agencies.56 Shook told jurors to hold the state to its burden of proof and said the case rests on gaps, assumptions and “tunnel vision.”5 He said the money Conway withdrew was in crisp, large bills, while the cash recovered from White was mixed small bills, and he pointed to another man charged in the case as having his own animosity toward Noble.56
The first witness was Noble’s mother. She testified that she believed her son was filming a music video in California that day and that she waited for hours at the hospital before learning he had died.5 On cross-examination, the defense described Mo3 as a stage persona distinct from the family man she described.56 Two women who were on the highway testified; one said the gunman pulled down his mask and told her to leave, and prosecutors played her 911 call and dash camera video.5 The defense did not cross-examine either woman.5 A Dallas Fire-Rescue captain testified about efforts to save Noble.5 Retired Dallas County medical examiner Dr. Jeffrey Barnard described several gunshot wounds and testified that a wound to the heart was the “most rapidly lethal” of several potentially fatal wounds.6
In the afternoon, a video expert discussed images from outside the apartment of Noble’s girlfriend showing a gold or tan car followed by a black car.6 The girlfriend, who testified under subpoena, said Noble had stayed at her apartment on Nov. 10, 2020, and prosecutors presented phone records showing repeated calls that morning from the third man charged in the case.6 On cross-examination, the defense asked her about past disputes with that man and about her earlier statements to prosecutors about Noble’s feuds with Conway and another rapper.7
On Oct. 28, a neurosurgeon who was driving on I-35 testified that a bullet pierced his windshield, that the masked gunman, armed with a rifle, made eye contact with him before fleeing, and that he performed CPR on Noble for about 25 minutes.78 Dallas police crime scene witnesses described evidence spread across both directions of the highway; supervisor Justin O’Donnell testified that an initial search of Noble’s car found about $17,960 in cash and no firearm.78 ATF Special Agent Derek Wright testified that a dog search in October 2023 found a concealed Glock pistol in Noble’s impounded car.8 Surveillance video showed Noble’s car on Ledbetter Drive near I-35 followed about 40 seconds later by a black Camaro.7
On Oct. 29, a bail bonds employee testified that White made an unscheduled $300 cash payment on Nov. 11, 2020; on cross-examination the defense brought out that the cash was in small bills and that Conway was not a guarantor or cosigner on White’s bond.8 Digital examiners, including Scott Morris of the FBI’s North Texas Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory, testified about data extracted from seized phones and surveillance recorders; Morris testified that one system’s clock ran about 58 minutes fast.8 Phillip Duong, a Texas Department of Public Safety firearms examiner, testified that all 44 cartridge cases from the scene were fired from a single gun that has not been identified, and that none of the seized firearms matched; the defense stressed that none of the guns shown in court were linked to the killing.8 A rapper who prosecutors said had testified before the grand jury in February 2025 about the feud and about being with Conway in California in November 2020 answered nearly every material question, “I’m going to plead the Fifth to that”; the judge dismissed him subject to recall and ordered him to return with his lawyer.89
On Oct. 30, a West Hollywood hotel employee testified that Conway was listed as an additional guest on a November 2020 reservation, and an official of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York presented evidence photos of currency with serial numbers.9 A Mount Pleasant police officer testified that officers recovered guns, drugs and just under $10,000 in cash in a traffic stop of White, and that he does not typically record serial numbers.9
Conway was 33 at the time of his March 2025 arrest.25 In seeking a lower bond, he described himself as a lifelong resident of Dallas County.24 No court testimony or on-record account of his childhood or schooling was found in the sources reviewed.
Performing as Yella Beezy, Conway is best known for his 2017 single “That’s On Me” and the 2019 song “Bacc At It Again” with Quavo and Gucci Mane, the AP reported.25 He has also recorded with Chris Brown, according to KERA.14 He has opened for Jay-Z and Beyoncé, according to CBS News Texas.11 While on bond, he released the single “Blame It On Me” in September 2025, FOX 4 reported.22 His lawyers have argued that his release conditions hurt his career and cause financial strain; in a 2025 motion seeking permission to leave home for work, Shook said, “Everyone needs to work a little.”23
In October 2018, Conway was shot three times while driving on a tollway in Lewisville, a Dallas suburb, when someone pulled up beside him and opened fire, according to the AP.25 CBS News Texas reported that he was shot inside a car on the Sam Rayburn Tollway.11 No arrest in that shooting was reported in the sources reviewed.
Conway missed a pretrial hearing on Jan. 16, 2026, following the recent death of his mother, FOX 4 reported.22
No testimony, finding or on-record statement about Conway’s mental health was found in the sources reviewed.
Conway has made no public statement about the case in the sources reviewed, beyond his not-guilty plea.
Prosecutors allege Conway hired Kewon White to kill Noble out of a feud between the two rappers that began in 2017, and that he paid $40,000.1712 In opening statements on Oct. 27, 2026, prosecutor Tommy Adams called the killing an "orchestrated murder-for-hire" arising from a feud of several years and said the evidence would include surveillance footage, travel logs and text messages from federal and state agencies.56 Prosecutors have argued that Conway's lyrics show a bounty was placed on Noble and that he later celebrated the death.19
Conway has pleaded not guilty and denies hiring White.1315 In his opening statement, defense attorney Toby Shook urged jurors to hold the state to its burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt and said the case depends on gaps, assumptions and investigative "tunnel vision."5 He told jurors that the money Conway withdrew from his bank was in crisp, large bills, while the cash recovered from White was mixed small bills, and he pointed to another man charged in the case as having his own animosity toward Noble.56 Before trial, the defense argued that the rap lyrics prosecutors wanted to use involve playing a character and should not be taken as fact.19
Melvin Noble is shot on Interstate 35 in south Dallas and dies at a hospital.25
Kewon White is sentenced to 105 months in federal prison on a separate felon-in-possession gun charge; the Mo3 murder charge against him is pending in state court.4
Conway is arrested by Dallas police after a Dallas County grand jury indicts him on a charge of capital murder.1825
After his bond is cut from $2 million to $750,000, Conway is released to house arrest with an ankle monitor.24
At a pretrial hearing, the defense seeks more time to review discovery; the Feb. 2, 2026 trial date is postponed.2122
After a multi-day hearing, Judge Anyiam allows prosecutors to play two of Conway's songs and one of Noble's, and excludes others.2019
A jury convicts Kewon White of capital murder in Noble's death; Anyiam sentences him to life without parole.18
Anyiam grants a defense request to postpone Conway's trial, with the state's agreement; jury selection is reset for Oct. 26.1615
Twelve jurors and three alternates are seated.11
Opening statements are given and the state calls its first witnesses.510
The state presents forensic, digital and financial evidence; a grand jury witness invokes the Fifth Amendment.789
The state's case continues in Criminal District Court No. 7 in Dallas; Judge Anyiam has said the trial should last two to three weeks.109 Reporting during the trial describes the punishment Conway faces as up to life in prison and does not mention the death penalty; no court filing or prosecutor's statement on whether the state is seeking death was found in the sources reviewed.87 If the jury convicts Conway of capital murder in a case in which the state does not seek death, Texas law requires a sentence of life without parole.3 A third man charged with capital murder in the case is to be tried after Conway's trial ends.13 White's lawyers are seeking a new trial, and he has filed an appeal.5