Yella Beezy on trial for Dallas rapper MO3's murder

DALLAS - Testimony got underway on Tuesday in the trial for Yella Beezy, who is accused of orchestrating the murder of rival Dallas rapper MO3.

Yella Beezy, whose real name is Markies Conway, allegedly paid Kewon White to gun down MO3, whose real name is Melvin Noble, in an ambush on Interstate 35 in Dallas in 2020.

After both sides presented their opening statements to the jury on Tuesday morning, many of the same witnesses from White’s capital murder trial in September returned to the stand.

But the state must present this as a new case for a different jury. In other words, they can’t make assumptions about what the jury does or does not know.

Some of the most compelling testimony came from a woman who witnessed the deadly encounter on I-35. She was trapped on the highway with other motorists and said Noble collapsed in front of her car.

"I saw the two men that were running, and there was a man with a very large gun, and he was shooting a gentleman with a purple jumpsuit. So I, you know, I had enough time to see what was going on, and I was trying to figure out what to do. You know, I was stuck in my car, and some thoughts were going through my mind of what I need to do while I'm sitting there," she said. "Right in front of me, the man in the purple jumpsuit had fallen on the ground right in front of my car."

On Monday, a panel of 12 jurors were selected to hear the case. They include nine men and three women of various races. One alternate juror was swapped in on Tuesday morning because the original juror had a childcare conflict.

Conway’s trial is expected to last two to three weeks. If convicted of capital murder, he faces up to life in prison. 

Live Updates

5:15 p.m. Done for the day

Testimony has concluded for the day. It will resume on Wednesday morning at 9 a.m.

4 p.m. Tension on the witness stand

Cross-examination grew tense as the defense questioned Jocylynn Jackson about past domestic and financial disputes involving her ex, Devin Brown. Jurors saw photos of injuries Jackson sustained during a 2017 assault by Brown, as well as records of a 2018 child support dispute.

The defense then focused on the events of September 2020 leading up to the murder, including a video Noble posted shortly before a birthday party for her son, which showed the children wearing his jewelry and throwing around cash. That reportedly angered Brown and Jackson testified that he blocked her.

"You and him just couldn't get along, right?" the defense asked.

"He couldn't get along with me," Jackson replied.

The judge allowed the defense to play the video in court despite Jackson saying she didn't want video of her kids shown.

3 p.m. Jocylynn Jackson cross-examined

Defense attorneys aggressively cross-examined Noble’s former girlfriend, Jocylynn Jackson, focusing on statements she allegedly made to detectives shortly after the murder and prosecutors leading up to the trial. She said she didn't recall telling the District Attorney’s office that Noble had no "beef" with Yella Beezy. The defense tried to refresh her memory with notes, but prosecutors objected.

"I said that he wasn't worried about him and that he really disliked Freddy," Jackson testified, referring to Trapboy Freddy. 

The defense also scrutinized the morning Noble was killed after leaving her apartment and questioned her statement that she didn't know the make and model of Noble's car.

2 p.m. MO3's girlfriend testifies

Noble's girlfriend, Jocylynn Jackson, took the stand. She told jurors she was there because she was subpoenaed and didn't want to testify. She talked about her relationship with Devin Brown, a co-defendant in this case. She had two children with Brown before their relationship ended in 2018 and she started dating Noble in 2020.

Jackson testified about a video that Noble posted on social media in late 2020 featuring her children wearing his jewelry—prompting Brown to abruptly block her number. She said Noble spent the night at her apartment on Nov. 10, 2020 after returning from California. The following morning, her 8-year-old son unexpectedly asked if he could see his father. Jackson denied the request because it was a school day. Soon after Noble left her apartment, he was ambushed and killed.

Jackson said she immediately suspected her address had been leaked because not many people know where she lived. Then she learned from her son that Brown had asked if Noble was at the apartment. Cellphone records presented to the jury revealed repeated calls from Brown to the boy’s phone on the morning of the deadly ambush.

She told jurors she used her young son's phone to confront Brown, whom she believed orchestrated the ambush. Brown's reply was shown in the courtroom. In the profanity-laced message, Brown denied involvement and berated Jackson for exposing their children to the "beef." Jackson acknowledged she was aware of an ongoing public feud involving Noble and other local music figures, specifically naming Yella Beezy and Trapboy Freddy. She was familiar with them because she went to school with them.

1:45 p.m. Security photos introduced

The state called a video security expert to testify about photos taken outside Noble's girlfriend's apartment in the days leading up to his death. These are some of the same photos presented as evidence during the convicted gunman's trial. They show a gold or tan car leaving the apartment followed by a black car.

1:30 p.m. ME continues testifying

Former Dallas County ME Dr. Jeffrey Barnard returned to the stand after lunch and told jurors that Noble had multiple potentially lethal gunshot wounds. A wound that punctured his heart was the "most rapidly lethal."

1 p.m. Morning recap

12 p.m. Lunch break

Court is in recess for a lunch break until 1:15 p.m.

11:20 a.m. First responder and medical examiner testify

Dallas Fire-Rescue Captain Chris Bloodgood was one of the first responders who answered the call regarding the shooting. He testified about efforts to save Noble's life. The defense did not cross-examine him.

Dr. Jeffrey Barnard, a retired Dallas County medical examiner, also talked about performing the autopsy on Noble back in 2020. He described wounds in Noble's back, abdomen and buttocks. Jurors were shown autopsy photos as evidence, including a photo of the amount of cash Noble was carrying. 

11 a.m. Highway witnesses testify

Two women who were on the highway when Noble was killed were the next to testify. Both testified during the convicted gunman's capital murder trial. 

"When I pulled up to the side of him, I was letting my passenger side window down, and as I was asking, are you okay? That's when I noticed he was getting out of his vehicle and he was pulling his mask down over his face, and he had a gun in his head," the first woman told jurors.

She said the man cursed at her and told her to "get the f--- out of here."

Prosecutors also played her 911 call and showed jurors dash camera video from a delivery truck that captured the shooting.

The second woman said Noble died right in front of her car. She told jurors she tried calling 911 but couldn't get through. She ended up taking photos after the gunshots stopped. Prosecutors showed jurors those photos.

The defense didn't cross-examine either witness.

10 a.m. MO3's mom called as first witness

Noble's mother, Nicole Noble, was the first witness called to the stand. She was also the first person to testify during convicted hitman Kewon White's trial.

In her emotional testimony, she recounted believing her son was in California filming a music video on Nov. 11, 2020. She said she discovered several missed calls as people tried to alert her that her son had been shot. After rushing to the hospital, she waited for hours before doctors and police confirmed he had died.

Following the shooting, Nicole Noble told investigators to look into four individuals, including her son's manager, Brandon Rainwater, and fellow rappers Yella Beezy and Trapboy Freddy.

During cross-examination, the defense underscored the division between MO3's stage persona and personal life. Nicole Noble described him as a devoted father of three who financially supported her so she could help raise his children. Defense counsel noted that performing as MO3 was an artistic character distinct from the family man known at home as "Bubba."

9:45 a.m. Opening statements

Prosecutor Tommy Adams went first, talking about Noble's Nov, 11, 2020 highway shooting death. He described it as an orchestrated murder-for-hire that stemmed from an escalating multi-year feud with the defendant. Adams told jurors that evidence from federal and state law enforcement—including surveillance footage, travel logs, and text messages—will be presented piece by piece. He asked them to assemble these puzzle pieces to return a guilty verdict of capital murder.

Meanwhile, defense attorney Toby Shook urged the jury to hold the state to its high burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt, arguing that the prosecution’s murder-for-hire case against Conway relies on gaps, assumptions, and investigative "tunnel vision." He challenged the state’s financial link by showing that Conway’s bank withdrawal consisted of crisp large bills, whereas the money recovered from White was mixed, small-denomination street money consistent with drug transactions. The defense also pointed to overlooked alternative suspects and motives, including co-defendant Devin Brown’s personal animosity toward Noble. Shook argued that law enforcement ignored these possibilities to force the evidence into a predetermined theory.

9:30 a.m. Alternate juror seated

Judge Chika Anyiam dismissed one of the jurors on the panel because of a child care issue. An alternate juror took his place.

9 a.m. Yella Beezy in Court

Conway entered the Dallas County courtroom for the first day of testimony in his capital murder trial. He was wearing a maroon turtle neck.

MO3 Murder

The backstory:

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

• 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

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