A jury has been seated and opening statements are expected Tuesday in the capital murder trial of Markies Conway, the Dallas rapper known as Yella Beezy, who stands accused of masterminding the 2020 murder-for-hire killing of fellow Dallas rapper MO3.
Conway has pleaded not guilty to the charge. Prosecutors allege he paid $40,000 to a gunman to carry out the assassination of Melvin Noble, who performed under the stage name MO3.
Noble was shot and killed in November 2020 after being chased on foot along Interstate 35E in Dallas in a brazen daytime attack that shocked the city and the music community.
Conway is the second of three defendants to face trial in connection with Noble’s death. In September a jury convicted Kewon White of capital murder for his role as the alleged triggerman and sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Prosecutors say White was the individual Conway hired to carry out the killing. The case against Conway centers on his alleged role as the person who funded and directed the murder scheme.
Judge Chika Anyiam is presiding over the trial in Dallas and has indicated proceedings are expected to span approximately three weeks. A third defendant connected to the case has yet to stand trial.
The killing of MO3 drew widespread attention both locally and nationally. Noble had been a rising figure in the Dallas rap scene and his death on a major Dallas freeway in broad daylight underscored the dangers that had followed him in the years before his murder.
The Conway trial marks a significant chapter in the ongoing legal proceedings surrounding one of the most high-profile murders in Dallas in recent memory. With one conviction already secured and a third trial still ahead the case continues to move through the Dallas court system.