Testimony continues on Day 6 of Yella Beezy's capital murder trial

DALLAS - The trial for Yella Beezy, who is accused of orchestrating a murder for hire plot that killed Dallas rapper MO3, is now in its second week.

Yella Beezy, whose real name is Markies Conway, is accused of paying another man to gun down MO3, whose real name is Melvin Noble, in an ambush on Interstate 35 in Dallas in 2020.

Prosecutors allege Conway hired Kewon White to carry out the murder over a long-running feud.

Conway has pleaded not guilty to capital murder and denied involvement.

White has already been convicted of capital murder for Noble’s death.

A third defendant, Devin Brown, is also charged with capital murder.

Conway's trial is expected to last about two weeks.

11 a.m. Yella Beezy told police cooperating in 2018 shooting investigation 'wouldn't be good for his portfolio' 

Testimony revealed new details about a 2018 drive-by shooting that left Yella Beezy severely injured. Sean Doherty, a training officer from the Lewisville Police Department, testified that the case remains unsolved because the rapper refused to press charges to protect his public image.

On Oct. 14, 2018, tollway surveillance cameras captured a Ford minivan pulling alongside Yella Beezy's, whose real name is Markies Conway, vehicle. The video showed gunshots coming from the minivan's open sliding door. Emergency responders took Conway to the hospital with gunshot wounds to his leg, abdomen, chest and elbow. 

Prosecutors played a recorded hospital interview between Doherty and Conway. During the recording, Doherty informed the rapper that the suspect minivan belonged to a man known as "Sean G."

Conway claimed he had been looking at his phone and didn't see the shooters. Instead, he suggested the attackers might have followed him from a strip club where he was earlier that night.

Doherty testified that he explicitly warned Conway the investigation could not move forward without a cooperating victim willing to press charges.

Conway ultimately refused. He told the detective that cooperating "wouldn't be good for his portfolio" and rap persona. Lewisville police suspended the investigation a few weeks later due to his lack of cooperation.

10 a.m. Dallas Police Officer testifies

Dallas Police Officer Nicholas Brooks took the stand to detail his time working as private, off-duty security for Yella Beezy.

Officer Brooks testified that shortly after hearing a rapper had been shot on the freeway, he immediately texted Conway. Brooks said in court that he reached out because he knew about the ongoing internet feud and wanted to know if Conway was either the shooter or the victim. 

The state also questioned Brooks on the logistics of the security he provided for Conway and his girlfriend’s business, D Hair Boutique. Brooks noted that Conway paid the off-duty officers electronically using Zelle.

Brooks testified that he banned another local rapper, Trapboy Freddy, from being present during his security shifts, telling the court, "Normally, if he's there, there's going to be a problem."

Defense attorneys pointed out that it was Officer Brooks who first reached out to Conway for the job and that Brooks had to teach Conway how to use the Zelle app to pay him. 

The defense emphasized that the two grew close enough that Brooks invited Conway to his wedding and joked about Conway naming his newborn child after him. 

9 a.m. Trial resumes

FOX 4 will have live coverage of the trial each day after testimony begins around 9 a.m.

Monday's Recap

Prosecutors questioned an American Airlines employee and an Arlington jeweler to establish a timeline of travel and cash exchanges. Flight records showed Conway and Thomas flew to Los Angeles days before the murder, and White later purchased custom jewelry with thick bundles of cash. 

A Dallas police detective also testified about tracking Conway's vehicle on the freeway before officers safely arrested him at an apartment complex.

Defense attorneys argued last-minute flights and large cash purchases are standard industry practices for entertainers. The defense also pointed out that police never formally charged Conway with evading arrest during the freeway tracking.

Prosecutors aggressively challenged Thomas's sudden reversal, arguing he changed his story out of lifelong loyalty to Conway.

"In the past year and a half, you have never once recanted or said 'I lied' about anything, correct?" a prosecutor asked.

"Correct," Thomas said.

Thomas admitted he waited until just before White's trial to change his story, claiming he originally cried before the grand jury because he felt guilty about lying.

MO3 Murder

MO3 was shot 11 times and killed on I-35 back in 2020. Prosecutors allege the shooting was part of a murder-for-hire plot organized by rapper Yella Beezy, whose legal name is Markies Conway. They claim he paid Kewon White to carry out the murder over a long-running feud. 

In September, jurors found White guilty of capital murder and sentenced him to life in prison after viewing video and hearing testimony about the shooting. Prosecutors also presented evidence of an alleged payment from Conway to White.

Conway has pleaded not guilty to capital murder and denied involvement. His trial was delayed by a month so that his lawyers could get a copy of White’s trial transcript.

A third defendant, Devin Brown, is also charged with capital murder.

Continued Coverage

• Day 5: Yella Beezy murder trial key witness Theodore Thomas claims he lied in grand jury testimony
• Day 4: Yella Beezy murder trial key witness doesn't testify, ordered to return on Wednesday
• Day 3: Yella Beezy murder trial continues on Day 3 with testimony from informant Jose Bodega
• Day 2: Yella Beezy murder trial testimony on Day 2 focuses on crime scene evidence, surveillance photos
• Day 1: Yella Beezy on trial for Dallas rapper MO3's murder
• Jury seated in Dallas rapper Yella Beezy’s capital murder trial
• Kewon White’s lawyers seeking a new trial over sleepy juror
• Kewon White files appeal in MO3 murder conviction
• Kewon White found guilty, sentenced to life in prison for MO3's murder