Imani Dia Smith, former Lion King Broadway child actress stabbed to death by boyfriend, Jordan D Jackson Small at Edison, N.J residence. Victim was mother of 3 year old boy.
A former Broadway child star has died after she was stabbed to death by her boyfriend at a home in Edison, New Jersey home over the weekend.
Imani Dia Smith, 26 — who played Young Nala in the blockbuster musical ‘The Lion King’ between 2011 and 2012 according to Playbill — was stabbed to death by Jordan D Jackson Small on Sunday, Middlesex County authorities stated.
Former Broadway child star was mother of 3 year old boy
Police were called to the Edison home on Grove Avenue around 9:18 a.m., where they found Smith with multiple stab wounds. Smith the mother of a 3 year old boy was rushed to a local hospital, where she mortally succumbed to her injuries.
Jackson Small, 35, was arrested and charged with murder, endangering the welfare of a child and weapons possession, prosecutors said.
He is being held at the Middlesex County Adult Correctional Center without bond as he awaits an initial court hearing.
Read a GoFundMe fundraiser on behalf of the slain woman’s family: ‘Imani had her whole life ahead of her. She was vivacious, loving and a fiercely talented person.
‘A true triple-threat performer, she most notably played the role of Young Nala on Broadway in Disney’s Lion King — an experience that reflected the joy, creativity, and light she put into the world.’
No known motive
Smith’s 3 year old son is to be raised by the slain woman’s parents who according to the fundraiser, ‘are now facing the unimaginable: grieving their daughter while stepping in to raise her young son and support their two children during this traumatic time.’
Not immediately clear is what led up to the stabbing and how long the doomed couple had been involved for and whether there had been previous instances of domestic violence.
