Jury seated in Dallas rapper Yella Beezy’s capital murder trial
Jury seated in rapper Yella Beezy capital murder trial
A jury has been seated in Dallas for rapper Yella Beezy’s capital murder trial. He faces life in prison if convicted of paying a gunman to fatally ambush rival rapper MO3 on I-35 in 2020.
DALLAS - A jury has been seated in Dallas rapper Yella Beezy’s capital murder trial. He’s accused of orchestrating the murder of rival rapper MO3 in 2020.
Yella Beezy Trial
Yella Beezy (a.k.a. Markies Conway)
What we know:
The trial began with jury selection on Monday morning. The panel of 12 was sworn in on Monday afternoon.
Yella Beezy, whose real name is Markies Conway, has pleaded not guilty to capital murder and denies hiring Kewon White to kill MO3, whose real name is Melvin Noble.
Expert weighs in on Yella Beezy trial jury selection
Jury selection in the murder for hire trial against Dallas rapper Yella Beezy began on Monday morning. FOX 4's Steven Dial talked to jury expert Allison Richardson about this trial, the jury selection process, and what prosecutors and the defense will be looking for.
In September, jurors found White guilty of capital murder for Noble’s death. He was sentenced to life in prison.
Prosecutors showed them evidence that White fatally shot Noble in an ambush attack on Interstate 35 in Dallas. They also presented evidence that Conway paid White for the hit.
VIDEO: Rapper Mo3 chased down by hitman on I-35
Prosecutors released video of rapper Mo3 being shot at and chased down by a hitman on I-35 in Dallas. The video was shown during a bond hearing for fellow rapper Yella Beezy who allegedly hired the hitman Kewon Dontrell White.
With the start of Conway’s trial, Judge Chika Anyiam instructed the pool of 75 potential jurors to speak up if they'd seen anything on the news or social media that might make them biased against either side.
"Is there anyone because of the publicity that has formed an opinion? We need to know," she said. A few people raised their hands.
What they're saying:
FOX 4’s Steven Dial talked to attorney Rogge Dunn about the challenges of selecting a jury in Conway’s trial after White’s conviction.
"I think it will be much longer because the first trial against Mr. White was a long trial. That had a lot of notoriety and a lot of interest, especially right here in North Texas. A lot of people are going to know about it. Whether you’re a prosecutor, whether you are the defendant, you want to go in with a level playing field with a jury coming in with a blank slate, not coming in with ideas, convictions, or agendas," he said.
Jury selection starts Monday in rapper murder trial | Dallas News Live
Steven Dial speak with attorney Rogge Dunn about the upcoming jury selection for Yella Beezy.
But jury expert Allison Richardson said the task is not impossible.
"Juries with high profile social media and news coverage are seated all the time. It's very possible to do that. I've been listening into some of the jury selection this morning, and it appears the state just wrapped up. I think they've done an excellent job of talking not only about things related to the state side, but going the distance to really ensure that they have a jury that will be fair to both sides," she said.
Richardson said at first she was a little concerned about the size of the jury pool. But White's jury was selected from a pool of only 75 people.
"I thought it was a little along the low side, but they were able to see the jury without any problems. And given the feedback that they received from this jury today, it looks like they're on track to possibly see the jury from this pool at this panel as well," she said.
What's next:
FOX 4 will stream the trial live once testimony begins on Tuesday morning. It could last two to three weeks.
Attorneys on both sides are expected to call some of the same witnesses who testified during White’s trial in September.
Earlier this year, Judge Anyiam ruled most rap lyrics by Conway cannot be used against him, but a handful of songs were approved.
If convicted of capital murder, Conway faces life in prison.
A third defendant, Devin Brown, will also face trial for capital murder once Conway’s trial is concluded.
The Source: The information in this story comes from Monday's jury selection process, updates from the attorneys, and past FOX 4 News coverage.