The Lion King actor Imani Dia Smith stabbed to death, prosecutors blame boyfriend
Imani Dia Smith, the former child actor who voiced young Nala in Broadway’s The Lion King, was stabbed to death in New Jersey at the age of 25.
Imani Dia Smith, best known for playing young Nala in Disney’s popular Broadway production lion kingAccording to reports, he has died in an alleged murder. The former child actor was stabbed at a home in Edison, New Jersey on December 21 and was later pronounced dead at a hospital, authorities said.
According to the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, New Jersey, police responded to a 911 call and found Smith suffering from a stab wound at a residence in Edison. He was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Smith’s boyfriend, Jordan D. Jackson-Small, has been arrested in connection with her death. as quoted deadlineConfirming the nature of the incident, the prosecutor’s office said, “Smith and Jackson-Small knew each other prior to the incident; thus, it was not a random act of violence.” Smith’s aunt Kira Halpern also identified Jackson-Small as her boyfriend. gofundme Post established after the tragedy.
Paying tribute to her niece, Halpern remembered Smith as a talented artist with a promising future. He wrote, “Imani had her whole life ahead of her. She was a vibrant, loving and extremely talented individual. A true triple-threat performer, she starred as Young Nala on Broadway in Disney’s ‘Lion King’ – an experience that reflects the joy, creativity and light she brought to the world.”
gofundme The page, which aims to raise $55,000, is designed to support Smith’s parents during this difficult time.
Jackson-Small was arrested “without incident” and charged with first-degree murder, endangering the welfare of a child in the second-degree, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose in the third-degree and unlawful possession of a weapon in the fourth-degree. He is currently being held at the Middlesex County Adult Correctional Facility, Diversity Informed.
A press release from Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Edison Police Department Chief Thomas Bryan reiterated that Smith and Jackson-Small knew each other before the incident.
Imani Dia Smith is survived by her three-year-old son, parents Monique Raines-Helper and Rawni Helper, an aunt, and two younger siblings.