Lion King Star, Imani Dia Smith Killed In New Jersey Stabbing, Boyfriend Charged

Imani Dia Smith, a Broadway actress best known for portraying Young Nala in the stage adaptation of The Lion King, has been fatally stabbed at her residence in New Jersey. She was 25 years old.

The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office said officers responded to a 911 call reporting a stabbing at a home on Grove Avenue at about 9:18 a.m. on December 21.

“Upon their arrival to a residence on Grove Avenue, they discovered Imani Smith, 26, of Edison with stab wounds,” the statement said. “Smith was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, where she was ultimately pronounced deceased.”

Authorities confirmed that Smith’s 35-year-old boyfriend, Jordan D. Jackson-Small, has been arrested in connection with her death. Prosecutors noted that the incident was not random, as both individuals were known to each other.

“Moreover, Smith and Jackson-Small knew each other before the incident; thus, it was not a random act of violence,” the prosecutor’s office stated.

Following preliminary investigations, Jackson-Small was taken into custody without incident. He has been charged with first-degree murder, second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and fourth-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.

“Jackson-Small is being held at the Middlesex County Adult Correctional Centre pending the results of his pre-trial detention hearing,” the statement added.

In the wake of Smith’s death, her family launched a GoFundMe campaign, which had raised over $50,000 as of December 25.

Her aunt, Kira Helper, wrote on the fundraiser page, “She leaves behind a 3-year-old son, her parents, her two younger siblings, and an extended family, friends, and community who loved her so very much.”