Yella Beezy murder trial continues on Day 3 with testimony from informant Jose Bodega

DALLAS - Prosecutors are continuing to present their case in the trial for Yella Beezy, who is accused of orchestrating a murder for hire plot that killed Dallas rapper MO3.

Yella Beezy, whose real name is Markies Conway, is accused of paying another man to gun down MO3, whose real name is Melvin Noble, in an ambush on Interstate 35 in Dallas in 2020.

Prosecutors allege Conway hired Kewon White to carry out the murder over a long-running feud.

Conway has pleaded not guilty to capital murder and denied involvement.

White has already been convicted of capital murder for Noble’s death.

A third defendant, Devin Brown, is also charged with capital murder.

Conway's trial is expected to last about two weeks.

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4:30 p.m. Testimony continues

Testimony wrapped up on Thursday with prosecutors calling a bail bonds employee and a federal digital forensics investigator to the stand.

Annette Alvarado, a bonding agent, authenticated payment ledgers and surveillance footage showing convicted gunman Kewon White. Prosecutors said White made an unscheduled walk-in payment of $300 on Nov. 11, 2020, paying two weeks in advance despite a prior pattern of missed check-ins. On cross-examination, the defense pushed back, establishing that the cash transaction involved small denominations. Alvarado confirmed that Conway was not listed as a guarantor or cosigner anywhere on White’s bond paperwork.

State prosecutors next called Det. Norman Abrams III, a Fort Worth police officer assigned to a DEA high-tech task force. Abrams testified that he used specialized software to pull data from multiple seized cellphones labeled Jerry 1, Jerry 2, and Jerry 3. The state entered the data and associated phone numbers into the record, laying the groundwork for more testimony before the court recessed for the day.

2:30 p.m. Jose Bodega pleads the Fifth

Drama unfolded on Thursday afternoon as prosecutors called witness Theodore Thomas, a.k.a. Jose Bodega.

The state confronted Thomas with over 140 pages of his prior February 2025 Dallas County grand jury testimony. They pressed him on statements he previously made regarding the Get Rich Cartel (GRC), an escalating feud involving Conway and rapper Trapboy Freddy, an assault on an individual named Roy Lee Pate, and his whereabouts alongside Conway in California during November 2020.

Rather than affirming his earlier accounts, Thomas repeatedly invoked his constitutional right to remain silent, answering virtually every material question with: "I'm going to plead the Fifth to that."

When the defense attorney asked whether he had previously recanted his statements to investigators alongside his attorney, Thomas pleaded the Fifth to that as well. The judge intervened, noting that Thomas appeared unwilling to answer any questions. He was dismissed subject to recall and ordered to remain inside the Dallas County courthouse.

After a brief recess, the judge told Thomas to return at 9 a.m. on Friday with his lawyer.

1:30 p.m. Cellphone data extraction

The state's next two witnesses were FBI digital forensic examiners who testified about their role in extracting data from cellphones and DVRs seized as evidence in the case. 

Thomas Tedder, a retired FBI agent and former director of the North Texas Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory, said he examined four phones. One of them required approximately six months of "brute-force" cracking before analysts successfully bypassed its passcode.

Retired FBI digital forensic examiner Jackie Northrup talked about examining a DVR system with eight cameras.

11:45 a.m. Lunch break

The court is in recess for a lunch break until 1 p.m.

11:10 a.m. Surveillance photos introduced as evidence

Prosecutors introduced a series of surveillance photos from the Ramona Avenue surveillance system. These are the same photos introduced during convicted gunman Kewon White's trial to show a timeline of his actions before and after Noble's death. 

Before the deadly shooting, White appears to be handling a firearm, donning a yellow and black jacket, and leaving the residence in a black Chevrolet sedan with a temporary tag. Footage from after the shooting shows him and individuals in the backyard apparently burning an unidentified object. 

Prosecutors also showed jurors side-by-side photographic comparisons linking the suspects' clothing – particularly his light blue underwear – across key dates.

Under cross-examination, Morris clarified that detectives initially requested surveillance footage focused on Nov. 11, 2020. However, the examination expanded within the warrant's scope to capture the full contents of the one-terabyte DVR, encompassing over a month of recorded video across multiple cameras before his final report was completed on Nov. 12, 2021.

10:30 a.m. Forensic expert testifies

FBI digital forensics expert Scott Morris took the stand next. He is the deputy director of the North Texas Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory. Morris explained to jurors how federal authorities secure, extract, and preserve digital evidence without altering source data. 

Prosecutors then added dozens of key pieces of digital evidence into the official record, including cell phones, search warrants, forensic extractions, and hard drives. Among the critical items admitted were surveillance video from the homes on Ramona Avenue and Britton Road. Morris clarified that the Romona Avenue surveillance system’s internal clock ran roughly 58 minutes and 42 seconds ahead of actual time, a common discrepancy caused by unadjusted daylight saving settings. 

10 a.m. Firearms expert testifies

Testimony continued on Thursday morning with prosecutors calling Phillip Duong, a senior firearms and tool mark examiner with the Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Laboratory.

Duong walked the jury through his forensic analysis of firearms, spent shell casings, and bullets tied to the investigation. He revealed that none of the tested firearms seized as part of the investigation matched the 44 spent cartridge cases collected from the crime scene. According to Duong, all 44 casings were fired from a single, unidentified firearm. 

On cross-examination, the defense emphasized that none of the firearms physically displayed in the courtroom were linked to the murder.

9 a.m. Court resumes

FOX 4 will have live coverage of the trial each day after testimony begins around 9 a.m.

Yesterday's Recap

The second day of testimony began with Conway entering the courtroom a brown suit and brown turtleneck.

Dr. Randall Graham testified he was caught in traffic on I-35 when an unarmed man ran past his Audi, pursued by a masked gunman with a rifle. A bullet shattered Graham’s windshield, embedding shrapnel in his neck. Graham performed CPR on Noble for 25 minutes until paramedics arrived.

Forensic manager Courtney Lozano discussed collecting cartridge cases, bullet fragments, and blood across highway lanes, noting bullet damage to Graham's vehicle and Noble's gold Honda Accord. Crime Scene Supervisor Justin O'Donnell testified that an initial impound search of Noble’s vehicle yielded jewelry, his driver's license, and $17,960 in cash, though no firearms were found then. O'Donnell also detailed suspect Kewon White’s processing, noting his assault rifle tattoo and a "GRC" rifle necklace charm.

Jurors viewed surveillance footage of Noble’s Accord traveling on Ledbetter Drive followed 40 seconds later by a black Chevrolet Camaro. Vanessa Armenta, neighbor to Noble's girlfriend Jocylynn Jackson, presented video showing the Camaro in the parking lot. Following the shooting, Jackson can be heard leaving and causing a commotion.

Detective Seth Rosenberg testified about bullet strikes on Noble's car and items seized from 3915 Ramona Avenue, including two rifles, drum magazines, suspected marijuana, codeine, a DVR, and financial fraud equipment. Officer Scott Bazan then outlined evidence gathered at 3030 Britton Avenue, described as resembling an active "trap house" equipped with security monitors, narcotics, guns, and cellphones for Kewon White and Devon Brown. Defense photos depicted children holding cash and wearing "GRC" chains, though prosecutors stressed no such cash or chains were seized there.

Finally, ATF Special Agent Derek Wright testified that a K-9 search on Oct. 18, 2023, uncovered a deliberately concealed Glock pistol inside Noble’s impounded Accord.

MO3 Murder

The backstory:

MO3 was shot 11 times and killed on I-35 back in 2020. Prosecutors allege the shooting was part of a murder-for-hire plot organized by rapper Yella Beezy, whose legal name is Markies Conway. They claim he paid Kewon White to carry out the murder over a long-running feud. 

In September, jurors found White guilty of capital murder and sentenced him to life in prison after viewing video and hearing testimony about the shooting. Prosecutors also presented evidence of an alleged payment from Conway to White.

Conway has pleaded not guilty to capital murder and denied involvement. His trial was delayed by a month so that his lawyers could get a copy of White’s trial transcript.

A third defendant, Devin Brown, is also charged with capital murder.

Continued Coverage

• Day 2 - Yella Beezy murder trial testimony on Day 2 focuses on crime scene evidence, surveillance photos
• Day 1 - Yella Beezy on trial for Dallas rapper MO3's murder
• Jury seated in Dallas rapper Yella Beezy’s capital murder trial
• Kewon White’s lawyers seeking a new trial over sleepy juror
• Kewon White files appeal in MO3 murder conviction
• Kewon White found guilty, sentenced to life in prison for MO3's murder

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