Jury selection is set to begin Monday for the alleged gunman in a murder-for-hire case involving Dallas rappers Yella Beezy and MO3.
Prosecutors allege Markies Conway, the Dallas rapper known as Yella Beezy, hired Kewon White to kill Melvin Noble — also known as as MO3.
Noble was chased and fatally shot on Interstate-35 near the Dallas Zoo in November 2020.
Conway and Noble were involved in a public rap rivalry before the shooting. Prosecutors say Conway's lyrics and other actions were connected to an alleged bounty placed on Noble.
White is being tried aline. It’s not clear when Yella Beezy will face a jury of his own.
During a pretrial hearing Friday, the judge ruled Dallas Police Detective Eric Barnes could not testify as an expert witness. Barnes has investigated other cases involving Dallas rappers.
That ruling could complicate the prosecution's attempt to use Conway's rap lyrics to support the argument he put a bounty on Noble.
The defense will call on experts to testify rap lyrics often include exaggeration.
A pool of 77 prospective jurors is expected for jury selection Monday.
