‘The Lion King’ Star Imani Dia Smith Stabbed To Death In US

Imani Dia Smith, a Broadway actor best known for playing Young Nala in the stage adaptation of ‘The Lion King’, was stabbed to death at her residence in New Jersey.

She was 25 years old.

According to a statement by the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, authorities responded to a 911 call reporting a stabbing at a residence on Grove Avenue at 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 release stated. “Smith was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, where she was ultimately pronounced deceased.”

Smith’s 35-year-old boyfriend, Jordan D. Jackson-Small, has been arrested and charged in connection with her death.

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

The statement said that following an initial investigation, Jackson-Small was arrested 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,” it added.

Her family has since launched a GoFundMe fundraiser, which has raised more than $50,000 as of December 25.

Smith’s 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.”