Lion King star Imani Smith stabbed to death in New Jersey; boyfriend arrested

Imani Smith, who played Young Nala in Disney’s The Lion King on Broadway, has died following an alleged homicide in New Jersey, according to reports. She was 22.

The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office said Smith died after being stabbed on December 21. Police in Edison responded to a 911 call and found her with stab wounds. She was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Smith’s boyfriend, Jordan D. Jackson-Small, has been arrested in connection with her death. Prosecutors said Smith and Jackson-Small knew each other and that the incident “was not a random act of violence.”

Smith’s aunt, Kira Helper, identified Jackson-Small as her boyfriend in a GoFundMe post seeking support for the actor’s family. “Imani had her whole life ahead of her,” she wrote, describing her as “a vivacious, loving and fiercely talented person” and a “true triple-threat performer” who most notably played Young Nala in Disney’s The Lion King on Broadway.

Jackson-Small was arrested without incident and 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 weapon. He is being held at the Middlesex County Adult Correctional Centre, according to Variety.

A statement from Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Edison Police Chief Thomas Bryan reiterated that Smith and Jackson-Small were known to each other prior to the incident.

Smith is survived by her three-year-old son, her parents Monique Rance-Helper and Rawni Helper, her aunt, and two younger siblings.