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Yella Beezy's capital murder trial has officially started.
The Dallas native, born Markies Conway, appeared in court Tuesday morning, October 27, as witnesses began to testify. Conway is accused of hiring two men, Kewon White and Devin Brown, to kill rival rapper Mo3, born Melvin Noble, during an ambush on Interstate 35 in 2020. According to Fox 4 News, Mo3's mother, Nichole Noble, was the first witnessed called to the stand. She said Mo3 left her home on November 9, 2020, after telling her he would be in California for two days for a video shoot. The shooting occurred while he was on his way home.
The second witness was Tamatha Hopkins. She told the jury she was driving on Interstate 35 on November 11, 2020, when she saw cars zigzagging on the road. She recalled the moment a car stopped in front of her on the busy freeway after she heard popping noises. She parked her car next to a black sports car and asked if everyone inside was alright.
"I noticed he was getting out of his vehicle and was pulling a mask down over his face," Hopkins said, per WFAA. "He had a gun in his hand. [He] called me a b***h and told he to get the f**k out of there."
The video shows Noble driving on the highway when White pulled up in front of his car. White pulled a black ski mask over his face and ran up on Noble's car with a gun. The rapper tried to run, but White fired several deadly shots into his back. Police eventually identified White and arrested him a month after the shooting. White was charged with murder and was sentenced in September to life in prison. He was already serving a nine-year prison sentence for firearms charges related to the shooting.
Conway was indicted last year on a capital murder charge. He pleaded not guilty. During his bond hearing last year, Prosecutor Tommy Adams claimed there's a witness who will testify that Yella Beezy was allegedly involved in a conversation about paying White to carry out the murder. Adams also cited a $40,000 withdrawal the rapper made from his bank account several days after Noble was killed. After his bond was reduced to $750,000, Conway bailed out of Dallas County Jail last March. If convicted, Conway faces life in prison without parole.
Watch the opening statements and first witnesses testimonies below.