The Yella Beezy trial took an unexpected turn Thursday when his longtime friend and expected cooperating witness Theodore “Jose Bodega” Thomas took the stand and repeatedly pleaded the Fifth instead of answering prosecutors’ questions.
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Thomas had been expected to cooperate with the government against Beezy, whose legal name is Markies Conway. Earlier this month, testimony about Thomas’s separate federal drug case revealed that his agreement included cooperation in the case against Conway and potentially significant benefits connected to that cooperation.But when prosecutors actually called Thomas during the third day of testimony on October 29, they did not get the testimony they appeared to be expecting.
Prosecutors confronted Thomas with more than 140 pages of testimony he previously gave to a Dallas County grand jury in February 2025. Their questions covered several subjects connected to their theory of the case, including the Get Rich Cartel, known as GRC, tensions involving Conway and Dallas rapper Trapboy Freddy, an assault involving comedian Roy Lee Pate, and Thomas’s whereabouts with Conway in California in November 2020.
Instead of affirming his earlier statements, Thomas repeatedly responded, “I’m going to plead the Fifth to that.”
The Fifth Amendment protects a person from being compelled to give testimony that could incriminate them. Thomas invoked that right on virtually every material question prosecutors put to him Thursday.
The defense did not get answers from him either.
When a defense attorney asked Thomas whether he had previously recanted statements he made to investigators while accompanied by his attorney, Thomas invoked the Fifth Amendment again. Judge Chika Anyiam eventually intervened after it became apparent Thomas was not prepared to answer substantive questions.
Thomas was dismissed from the witness stand subject to recall and initially ordered to remain inside the Dallas County courthouse. After a recess, Judge Anyiam directed him to return Friday at 9 a.m. with his lawyer.
That means the Jose Bodega testimony is not necessarily finished. As of Thursday afternoon, the court had not publicly ruled on whether Thomas can continue invoking the Fifth, whether he will ultimately answer questions or what his refusal could mean for his federal cooperation arrangement.
That arrangement had already become an issue before the Yella Beezy trial began.
During an October 6 hearing, defense expert Julianna Moore testified about Thomas’s separate federal prosecution. Moore said Thomas had been facing federal sentencing guidelines of up to 151 months and had entered a plea agreement after speaking with the government.
Federal court records confirm Thomas pleaded guilty to Count 1 of a second superseding indictment in United States v. Johnson et al., a Northern District of Texas case. The charge was conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance. A federal judge formally accepted Thomas’s guilty plea in May 2025.
Moore testified at the October hearing that Thomas also entered a plea supplement requiring cooperation in Conway’s murder case. According to her testimony, Thomas could ultimately have his case dismissed after testifying against Conway and completing the federal STEPS program, short for Sentencing To Equip People for Success.
Moore also testified that a gun charge Thomas had faced was dismissed. When questioned by Beezy’s defense about the outcome Thomas received while pleading guilty to drug conspiracy, Moore characterized it as a “huge benefit.”
Beezy’s attorneys also attempted during that October hearing to suggest Thomas had been threatened with a RICO charge. Judge Anyiam sustained prosecution objections and instructed the attorneys to avoid speculation. Moore testified that no RICO allegation appeared in the plea agreement or federal guidelines she reviewed.
Thomas’s decision to invoke the Fifth on Thursday now introduces a new question surrounding a witness prosecutors had expected to help their case. The court has not yet determined publicly whether his decision affects any benefit contemplated by his federal agreement, and his Fifth Amendment invocation should not by itself be treated as proof of why he declined to answer.
Thomas and Conway have ties beyond the courtroom. Thomas performs as Jose Bodega and appeared with Yella Beezy and Trapboy Freddy on “Tool On Ya,” from the 2020 collaborative project “I’m My Brother’s Keeper.” He has been described in court coverage as a longtime or childhood friend of Conway.
The Yella Beezy trial began with opening statements on October 27 after a Dallas County jury was selected. Prosecutors accuse Conway of hiring Kewon White to kill MO3, whose legal name was Melvin Noble, following years of tension involving figures in Dallas music.
MO3 was killed on November 11, 2020, after a gunman pursued him on foot along Interstate 35E in Dallas and opened fire. Prosecutors allege Conway promised or provided payment to White for the killing. Conway has pleaded not guilty to capital murder and denied involvement.
White was convicted of capital murder in September 2026 and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Conway is being tried separately, meaning prosecutors must prove the allegations against him to his jury rather than rely on White’s conviction.
The Yella Beezy trial has so far included testimony about the freeway shooting, surveillance footage, firearms, digital evidence and the movements of people prosecutors believe were connected to the events surrounding MO3’s death.
Thomas was expected to add another layer through information he previously provided under oath.
Instead, one of the government’s anticipated cooperating witnesses spent his first appearance before Conway’s jury refusing to answer the questions prosecutors had brought him there to address.
