Imani Dia Smith, who appeared in “The Lion King” on Broadway as a young stage actor, died after she was stabbed at a residence in Edison, New Jersey, police and prosecutors said in a joint news release on Tuesday. She was 25, according to a GoFundMe created by her aunt.
Police responded to a 911 call Sunday morning and found Smith with stab wounds, according to the release. She was taken to a hospital where she was declared dead.
Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Edison Police Chief Thomas Bryan announced that a suspect, Jordan D. Jackson-Small, 35, of Edison, had been arrested and charged with first-degree murder, second-degree endangering of a child, third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon.
Smith and Jackson-Small knew each other before the incident, officials said. TMZ reported the suspect was her boyfriend, as did a GoFundMe to support Smith’s family.
Smith played Young Nala in “The Lion King” from Sept. 27, 2011, to Sept. 23, 2012, Playbill reported.
