From FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth · Grace Marocco · · 1m 30s
Kewon White appeals MO3 murder conviction
The man sentenced to life for killing Dallas rapper MO3 has filed an appeal, beginning a lengthy legal process that could take up to 18 months.
In brief
The man sentenced to life for killing Dallas rapper MO3 has filed an appeal, beginning a lengthy legal process that could take up to 18 months. An appeal is a legal review of trial proceedings, not a new trial, and requires finding a reversible error to change the outcome. Originally reported by FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort…
Convicted killer files appeal
Kewon White, sentenced to life for murdering Dallas rapper MO3 in 2020, has filed a notice to appeal his conviction with the court.
The victim and the alleged plot
Rapper MO3, legal name Melvin Nobles, was shot 11 times on Interstate 35 in 2020. Prosecutors say rapper Yella Beezy organized the murder-for-hire plot.
High-powered legal team takes case
White's appellate attorneys are Grace Shin and Niles Illich. Illich is one of fewer than 200 board-certified criminal appellate attorneys in Texas. Shin spent 22 years in the Dallas County District Attorney's appellate division.
Appeal is not a new trial
An appeal requests legal review of trial proceedings, not a new trial. Attorneys review court transcripts and documents to find errors that could lead to a new trial or sentence reduction.
“An appeal is limited to everything that happened at trial.”
Timeline could stretch 18 months
White's trial transcript won't be ready until January. Attorneys then have 30 to 90 days to review it before the appellate process begins, potentially taking a year to 18 months to reach the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in Dallas.
The headline
An appeal is a legal review of trial proceedings, not a new trial, and requires finding a reversible error to change the outcome.
