The trial of Markies Conway, known as Yella Beezy, has begun. He is accused of arranging the 2020 murder of rapper Mo3, whose real name was Melvin Noble.
Prosecutors allege Conway paid Kewon White to shoot Mo3 during an ambush on Interstate 35 in Dallas. White was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in September.
Mo3's mother, Nicole Noble, was the first witness. She said she believed her son was in California filming a music video on Nov. 11, 2020. She later found missed calls from people trying to tell her he had been shot. Noble rushed to the hospital and waited hours before learning that her son had died.
Noble also testified that after her son's death she urged investigators to look into four people, including Beezy, rapper Trapboy Freddy and Mo3's manager, Brandon Rainwater.
Other witnesses included two women who were on the highway during the shooting and one of the first responders to arrive. Prosecutors also presented dashcam footage of the incident and testimony from a retired medical examiner who performed Mo3's autopsy. Testimony on the first day was still underway at the time of publication.
In opening statements, prosecutors described the killing as a planned murder-for-hire linked to an escalating feud between the rappers. Beezy's defense attorney argued that the case rests on assumptions and investigative tunnel vision, and questioned the evidence connecting his client to the killing.
The trial is expected to last up to three weeks. Yella Beezy has pleaded not guilty and faces life in prison if convicted.
