Dallas murder-for-hire trial begins in I-35 shooting of rapper MO3
Expert shares insight on Dallas rapper murder trial
A murder for hire plot is at the center of a Dallas County trial this week. Attorneys are in the process of seating a jury for Kewon White, who is the gunman accused in the 2020 shooting of rapper MO3. Prosecutors claim he was hired by fellow rapper Yella Beezy. FOX 4's Shaun Rabb and Steven Dial talk about the case with Alison Richardson, who specializes in jury selection, jury behavior, and deliberations.
DALLAS - Jury selection began on Monday for the high-profile Dallas murder case involving a deadly feud between rival rappers.
MO3 was shot to death on Interstate 35 back in 2020. Prosecutors allege the shooting was part of a murder-for-hire plot organized by Yella Beezy.
MO3 Murder
MO3
The backstory:
MO3, whose real name was Melvin Noble, was gunned down in the middle of the busy interstate. The deadly shooting shocked the local hip-hop community.
But prosecutors allege it wasn’t random. They believe Noble was targeted as part of a murder-for-hire plot.
Prosecutors argue there was a long-running feud between Noble and Dallas rapper Yella Beezy, whose real name is Markies Conway.
Dallas rapper Yella Beezy charged with hiring hitman to kill fellow rapper Mo3
Investigators now say rapper Yella Beezy was behind the ambush-style murder of fellow rapper Mo3 in the middle of the day on I-35 back in 2020.
Conway is accused of orchestrating the killing and hiring Kewon White to carry it out.
Conway has pleaded not guilty to capital murder and denies involvement.
White is already serving time for an unrelated gun charge. He now faces capital murder for MO3’s death.
A third defendant, Devin Brown, is also charged with capital murder. Prosecutors said he was in the car with White and was seen in surveillance video walking up Noble while wearing a ski mask.
Kewon White Jury Selection
Jury selection begins in Dallas rapper's murder trial
Jury selection begins Monday in the murder-for-hire trial involving two Dallas rap artists who were allegedly feuding. Prosecutors say Yella Beezy paid another man, Kewon White, to kille MO3.
What we know:
Jury selection is currently underway in White’s case. Attorneys hope to narrow down a pool of 77 prospective jurors to a panel of 12.
Just before lunch on Monday, Judge Chika Anyiam reportedly banned a group of bloggers from the trial after they allegedly harassed and recorded video of potential jurors.
FOX 4 is planning to stream the trial live once opening statements and testimony begin on Tuesday or Wednesday.
What we don't know:
One of the biggest questions heading into the trial is what role rap lyrics will play.
A judge has allowed some of Yella Beezy’s music, including lyrics about his feud with MO3, to be presented as evidence.
But during a pretrial hearing on Friday, a judge denied a Dallas detective who has done a lot of investigations involving Dallas rappers. He will not be allowed to serve as an expert witness on the music.
That’s important because prosecutors claim one of Conway’s songs put a bounty on MO3.
The defense argues rap lyrics are artistic expression and not confessions.
Dallas rap rival murder-for-hire trial begins on Monday
Jury selection starts Monday in Dallas for accused hitman Kewon White in the 2020 murder-for-hire shooting of rapper MO3. Rapper Yella Beezy and a third man, Devin Brown, are also charged with murder.
What's next:
While White is the first defendant to face trial, the judge told Conway and Brown’s legal teams to be ready to start on Monday too if something changes.
The Source: The information in this story comes from courtroom updates and past news coverage.