Pop Smoke’s Killer Deijae Jester Gets Four More Years Over Fentanyl Case

Deijae Devon Jester, who was convicted as a juvenile in the 2020 killing of Pop Smoke, has been sentenced to four years in Los Angeles County Jail in a separate fentanyl case. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced the sentence after Jester pleaded no contest to three felony counts tied to contraband at Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall. The new punishment comes while Jester is still serving the consequences of the case that ended the Brooklyn rapper’s life.

According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Jester was sentenced on August 13 in San Fernando after entering his no-contest pleas on June 23. The charges included possession for sale of a controlled substance, bringing contraband into a jail and bringing or sending contraband into a juvenile hall or camp. Prosecutors said the case stemmed from an incident that occurred while Jester was housed at Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall.

Authorities allege Jester’s mother, Nickia Tyonia Randall, visited him on December 14, 2025, and attempted to pass him two latex balls containing fentanyl pills. Investigators recovered one of the balls and found 25 fentanyl pills inside, according to prosecutors. Randall has also been charged with three felony counts in connection with the alleged attempt, and her case remains pending.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said the new case represented a failure to embrace the opportunity for rehabilitation Jester received as a juvenile. “Because he was a juvenile, the law afforded him an opportunity for redemption,” Hochman said in announcing the sentence. Prosecutors said Jester had received a seven-year juvenile commitment stemming from Pop Smoke’s death before the fentanyl case was filed.

Pop Smoke, born Bashar Barakah Jackson, was fatally shot during a home-invasion robbery at a rented Hollywood Hills residence on February 19, 2020. Jester was 15 at the time of the killing and was prosecuted in juvenile court because of his age. The rapper, who was 20 when he died, had rapidly emerged as one of the defining voices of Brooklyn drill through records including “Welcome to the Party” and “Dior.”

The fentanyl prosecution adds another chapter to the lengthy legal fallout from Pop Smoke’s killing, which involved multiple defendants who were juveniles at the time as well as adult defendant Corey Walker. Jester’s new case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Nathalie Garcia and investigated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Scientific Services and the Los Angeles County Probation Department. His four-year county jail sentence is separate from the juvenile commitment he received in connection with Pop Smoke’s death.