Imani Dia Smith, a Broadway performer known for her role as Young Nala in the stage production of The Lion King, has been k!lled after being stabbed at her home in New Jersey. She was 25.
According to the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, police responded to a 911 call reporting a stabbing at a residence 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 arrested Smith’s boyfriend, 35-year-old Jordan D. Jackson-Small, in connection with the killing. Prosecutors confirmed that the two knew each other prior to the incident, noting that it was not a random act of violence.
“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.
Jackson-Small was taken into custody without incident following preliminary investigations. 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 aftermath 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.”
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