Jury selection began in Dallas on August 24 in the capital-murder trial of Kewon Dontrell White, the first defendant to face a jury in the case arising from the 2020 killing of Dallas rapper MO3. No jury had been seated by the end of Monday, according to FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth.

MO3, whose legal name was Melvin Noble, was killed on Interstate 35 in Dallas in November 2020. Prosecutors allege that the death was connected to a murder-for-hire plan. White has been charged with capital murder and is already serving a sentence in an unrelated federal gun case.

Rapper Markies Conway, known professionally as Yella Beezy, is accused by prosecutors of arranging the killing and hiring White. Conway has pleaded not guilty and denies involvement. A third defendant, Devin Brown, is also charged with capital murder. The accusations against Conway and Brown have not been proven at trial.

The cases are being handled separately, with White going first. That distinction matters: the start of White’s trial does not mean that all three defendants are currently being tried by the same jury or that any allegation has been established as fact.

One disputed issue involves the proposed use of selected rap lyrics. The judge excluded a larger group of songs but permitted limited material prosecutors argue is connected to the alleged feud. Defense lawyers maintain that lyrics are artistic expression rather than confessions. How jurors interpret that evidence may become one of the trial’s most closely watched questions.

Opening statements and testimony were expected after a jury was seated. TheRapReporter will treat every defendant as innocent unless and until proven guilty and will update this report as the court record develops.