Riley Dobi Noel was born on May 22, 1972, in Arkansas, U.S.

On June 4, 1995, Riley Dobi Noel was involved in the shooting deaths of three children in Little Rock, Arkansas. He was with Terry Carroll, Curtis Cochran, and Tracy Calloway at the time. The group had been using drugs together before they decided to carry out a violent act. Noel was seeking revenge for the recent death of his brother, who had been killed in a drive-by shooting. He believed that a woman named Mary Hussian was connected to the incident, specifically her daughter.

Noel and his friends went to Mary Hussian's home. Upon their arrival, Noel ordered three of Hussian's children to lie on the floor. He then shot each of the children in the head. The victims were 17-year-old Marcell Young, 12-year-old Mustafa Hussian, and 10-year-old Malak Hussian. While this was happening, Terry Carroll attempted to shoot Mary Hussian with a shotgun, but the weapon jammed. Mary managed to wrestle the gun away from him. Notably, the daughter that Noel suspected was not at home during these events.

After the murders, Noel was charged with capital murder for the deaths of the three children, as well as attempted capital murder for his attack on Mary Hussian. The trial took place, and on July 18, 1996, he was sentenced to death.

In the meantime, his co-defendants faced their own outcomes. Curtis Cochran pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and received a 20-year sentence. Tracy Calloway was sentenced to 132 years in prison for her role in the murders. Terry Carroll was sentenced to life without parole, but, as he was a juvenile during the crimes, his sentence was later reduced to 70 years.

Riley Dobi Noel was executed by lethal injection on July 9, 2003, at the Cummins Unit. For his last meal, he requested fried chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, hot rolls, a garden salad, Kool-Aid, and cookies. During the execution, a media witness reported that Noel's chest heaved violently shortly after the procedure began.