Deijae Devon Jester, convicted in the killing of late hip-hop star Pop Smoke, received a four-year Los Angeles County jail sentence Thursday. The new sentence stems from a fentanyl case involving his time in juvenile detention.
Jester, 21, pleaded no contest in June to felony counts involving controlled substances and jail contraband. Prosecutors accused him of possessing fentanyl for sale and introducing contraband into detention facilities.
The case adds another legal consequence to Jester’s involvement in Pop Smoke’s 2020 killing. Jester was 15 when the Brooklyn-born rapper was fatally shot during a home invasion in Los Angeles.
Jester admitted a first-degree murder charge in 2023. He also admitted personally and intentionally discharging a firearm during the crime. A home-invasion robbery count formed part of the case.
Because Jester was a juvenile at the time, he proceeded through the juvenile justice system. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said that process provided Jester an opportunity for rehabilitation.
Deijae Devon Jester, Killer of Hip-Hop Star Pop Smoke, Sentence To 4 Years After Smuggling Fentanyl Into Los Angeles Juvenile Hall
“Deijae Jester committed a devastating crime when he took the life of Pop Smoke,” Hochman said. “Because he was a juvenile, the law afforded him an opportunity for redemption.”
Hochman said Jester instead trafficked fentanyl while detained. The district attorney warned that continued criminal conduct would bring further accountability.
Jester’s mother, Nickia Tyonia Randall, faces related felony allegations. Prosecutors accuse her of attempting to deliver fentanyl pills to her son during a December 2025 visit.
Authorities said Randall brought two latex balls to Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Sylmar. Investigators recovered one ball containing 25 fentanyl pills, prosecutors said.
Pop Smoke, whose legal name was Bashar Jackson, died Feb. 19, 2020. He was staying at a rented Hollywood Hills home during a Los Angeles trip.
Authorities said attackers obtained the address through a social media post. A detective testified that the robbers stole Jackson’s diamond-studded Rolex and sold it for $2,000.
Pop Smoke broke through in 2018 with “Welcome to the Party.” His posthumous album, “Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon,” cemented his influence after his death.
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