A second conviction will move one of the people responsible for Pop Smoke’s killing out of the juvenile system and into adult custody. Deijae Devon Jester, who was 15 when the Brooklyn rapper was fatally shot during a 2020 home invasion, was sentenced Thursday (August 13) to four years after pleading no contest in a fentanyl case tied to the juvenile facility where he was being held. This landmark ruling marks a significant shift in the legal proceedings surrounding the tragic death of Pop Smoke, impacting not only the young man’s future but also the complex dynamics of juvenile justice in Los Angeles County. Jester, now 21, admitted to possessing 25 fentanyl-laced pills that prosecutors say his mother, Nickia Randall, tried to pass to him during a December 2025 visit at Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall. According to the Los Angeles Times and the L.A. District Attorney’s Office, authorities recovered one latex ball containing the pills after staff noticed the exchange. Investigators later reviewed previous visits and recorded calls that they said showed Jester discussing plans to bring contraband into the facility. Prosecutors sought the maximum five-year sentence. Jester’s attorney instead pointed to his upbringing and the progress he had made while incarcerated, including earning his high school diploma. The judge ultimately settled on four years, saying Jester’s age and personal history had been considered but that he had demonstrated an understanding of the situation when the fentanyl was introduced into the facility. A post shared by HotNewHipHop® (@hotnewhiphop) revealed the new case changes the custody situation created by Jester’s original juvenile conviction. He admitted first-degree murder in 2023 and acknowledged personally firing the gun that killed Pop Smoke. Because he was 15 when the crime occurred, he could not be prosecuted as an adult and was expected to remain in a juvenile facility until age 25. The L.A. Times reports that the new four-year sentence will instead be served in adult prison. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office described the sentence Friday as four years in county jail. Either way, the fentanyl conviction takes Jester out of the juvenile placement where he had been serving time for Pop Smoke’s death. The rapper was killed February 19, 2020, after a group entered the Hollywood Hills home he was renting. Detectives testified that Jester later described the shooting while speaking to a cellmate in a room equipped with hidden recording equipment. According to that account, Pop Smoke initially complied with demands for his jewelry before fighting back. Jester said he pistol-whited the rapper and shot him three times in the back. A diamond-encrusted watch taken during the robbery was later sold for $2,000.
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Source: HotNewHipHop
