Topline: The man convicted in Pop Smoke’s killing was ordered to state prison after prosecutors said his mother tried to smuggle 25 fentanyl-laced pills into juvenile hall for him.
Published: August 16, 2026 10:04 pm ET
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Pop Smoke (Courtesy photo)
LOS ANGELES, CA — The man convicted in the 2020 killing of rapper Pop Smoke was sentenced to four years in state prison after admitting he possessed fentanyl that prosecutors said was smuggled into a Los Angeles County juvenile hall by his mother.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Deijae Jester, 21, pleaded no contest to possessing 25 fentanyl-laced pills that authorities said were brought into Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall during a December 14, 2025 visit from his mother, Nickia Randall. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge P. Tamu Usher sentenced him on Thursday, August 13, to a prison term that will be served in state custody rather than a juvenile facility.
Jester was 15 when Pop Smoke, whose real name was Bashar Jackson, was killed inside a Hollywood Hills rental home on February 19, 2020. During a 2021 preliminary hearing, Los Angeles police detectives testified that Jester and three others broke into the home, confronted Jackson while he was in the shower, and that Jester later described pistol-whipping the rapper and shooting him three times in the back. Prosecutors said the group also stole Jackson’s diamond-encrusted watch and sold it for $2,000. Jester was convicted in that killing in 2023.
Prosecutors said guards saw Randall try to pass Jester a blue balloon during the juvenile hall visit, and the balloon contained 25 blue pills and a small amount of blue powder. Investigators later reviewed footage from earlier visits and recorded calls in which Jester and Randall discussed bringing contraband into the facility, according to the report cited by the Times. Court records also said Jester had been involved in multiple narcotics incidents while in juvenile hall, including an overdose that required Narcan.
The judge said she weighed Jester’s age and difficult upbringing, but also found that he had shown sophistication in arranging the smuggling of a dangerous narcotic that he appeared to intend to sell inside the facility. She told him his customer base would have been other minors. Randall had not entered a plea in the narcotics case as of the report because prosecutors said she was being held in San Bernardino County custody.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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Pop Smoke Killer Sentenced in Fentanyl Smuggling Case at L.A. Juvenile Hall
The man convicted in Pop Smoke’s killing was ordered to state prison after prosecutors said his mother tried to smuggle 25 fentanyl-laced pills into juvenile hall for him.
By Aaron Stephensen
Published: August 16, 2026 10:04 pm ET
Pop Smoke (Courtesy photo)
LOS ANGELES, CA — The man convicted in the 2020 killing of rapper Pop Smoke was sentenced to four years in state prison after admitting he possessed fentanyl that prosecutors said was smuggled into a Los Angeles County juvenile hall by his mother.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Deijae Jester, 21, pleaded no contest to possessing 25 fentanyl-laced pills that authorities said were brought into Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall during a December 14, 2025 visit from his mother, Nickia Randall. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge P. Tamu Usher sentenced him on Thursday, August 13, to a prison term that will be served in state custody rather than a juvenile facility.
Jester was 15 when Pop Smoke, whose real name was Bashar Jackson, was killed inside a Hollywood Hills rental home on February 19, 2020. During a 2021 preliminary hearing, Los Angeles police detectives testified that Jester and three others broke into the home, confronted Jackson while he was in the shower, and that Jester later described pistol-whipping the rapper and shooting him three times in the back. Prosecutors said the group also stole Jackson’s diamond-encrusted watch and sold it for $2,000. Jester was convicted in that killing in 2023.
Prosecutors said guards saw Randall try to pass Jester a blue balloon during the juvenile hall visit, and the balloon contained 25 blue pills and a small amount of blue powder. Investigators later reviewed footage from earlier visits and recorded calls in which Jester and Randall discussed bringing contraband into the facility, according to the report cited by the Times. Court records also said Jester had been involved in multiple narcotics incidents while in juvenile hall, including an overdose that required Narcan.
The judge said she weighed Jester’s age and difficult upbringing, but also found that he had shown sophistication in arranging the smuggling of a dangerous narcotic that he appeared to intend to sell inside the facility. She told him his customer base would have been other minors. Randall had not entered a plea in the narcotics case as of the report because prosecutors said she was being held in San Bernardino County custody.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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Editor Picks
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Pop Smoke Killer Sentenced in Fentanyl Smuggling Case at L.A. Juvenile Hall
The man convicted in Pop Smoke’s killing was ordered to state prison after prosecutors said his mother tried to smuggle 25 fentanyl-laced pills into juvenile hall for him.
By Aaron Stephensen
Published: August 16, 2026 10:04 pm ET
Pop Smoke (Courtesy photo)
LOS ANGELES, CA — The man convicted in the 2020 killing of rapper Pop Smoke was sentenced to four years in state prison after admitting he possessed fentanyl that prosecutors said was smuggled into a Los Angeles County juvenile hall by his mother.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Deijae Jester, 21, pleaded no contest to possessing 25 fentanyl-laced pills that authorities said were brought into Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall during a December 14, 2025 visit from his mother, Nickia Randall. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge P. Tamu Usher sentenced him on Thursday, August 13, to a prison term that will be served in state custody rather than a juvenile facility.
Jester was 15 when Pop Smoke, whose real name was Bashar Jackson, was killed inside a Hollywood Hills rental home on February 19, 2020. During a 2021 preliminary hearing, Los Angeles police detectives testified that Jester and three others broke into the home, confronted Jackson while he was in the shower, and that Jester later described pistol-whipping the rapper and shooting him three times in the back. Prosecutors said the group also stole Jackson’s diamond-encrusted watch and sold it for $2,000. Jester was convicted in that killing in 2023.
Prosecutors said guards saw Randall try to pass Jester a blue balloon during the juvenile hall visit, and the balloon contained 25 blue pills and a small amount of blue powder. Investigators later reviewed footage from earlier visits and recorded calls in which Jester and Randall discussed bringing contraband into the facility, according to the report cited by the Times. Court records also said Jester had been involved in multiple narcotics incidents while in juvenile hall, including an overdose that required Narcan.
The judge said she weighed Jester’s age and difficult upbringing, but also found that he had shown sophistication in arranging the smuggling of a dangerous narcotic that he appeared to intend to sell inside the facility. She told him his customer base would have been other minors. Randall had not entered a plea in the narcotics case as of the report because prosecutors said she was being held in San Bernardino County custody.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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