The murder trial of Kewon White, the man accused of gunning down Dallas rapper MO3 in 2020, continued Friday in a Dallas courtroom. White is the first of three defendants to face a jury in the high-profile murder-for-hire case.
MO3, whose legal name was Melvin Noble, was shot and killed in November 2020. White is charged with murder and prosecutors allege he was the triggerman in the attack.
Two other men are also charged in connection with the killing. Devin Brown is accused of helping coordinate the shooting, while Markies Conway, known professionally as Yella Beezy, is accused of orchestrating the entire plot. All three men have pleaded not guilty.
Testimony earlier in the week included statements from a Dallas police officer, crime scene analysts, surveillance video witnesses, and residents from an apartment complex Noble visited shortly before his death. Noble’s former girlfriend Jocylynn Jackson also took the stand, describing her relationship with co-defendant Devin Brown and the events leading up to Noble’s murder.
Prosecutors allege the killing stemmed from a feud between Noble and Conway, both figures in the Dallas rap scene. A third rapper, TrapBoyFredy, is also said to have been involved in the underlying conflict that allegedly led to the murder plot.
The case drew national attention in part because of a legal battle over whether rap lyrics could be used as evidence at trial. A Dallas police detective testified during pretrial hearings that songs including Hitters, Keep It in the Streets, and On Your Head support the state’s murder-for-hire theory.
Prosecutors argued the lyrics demonstrate motive and intent behind the killing. Defense attorneys countered that the songs are artistic expression and should not be treated as factual statements. A judge ultimately ruled that three of the rapper’s songs would be admitted as evidence.
The defense has also challenged the relevance of certain evidence presented at trial, arguing that some of the material shown to jurors does not directly connect to White.
The case marks a significant moment in the ongoing legal debate over the use of rap music as criminal evidence in courtrooms across the country. Jury deliberations have not yet begun as testimony in the White trial continues.
