26 years old Imani Dia Smith, a Broadway actor best known for playing Young Nala in the stage adaptation of ‘The Lion King’, has been stabbed to death at her residence in New Jersey.
The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office said that at 9:18 a.m. on December 21, officials responded to a 911 call about a stabbing at a home on Grove Avenue.
“Upon their arrival to a residence on Grove Avenue, they discovered Imani Smith, 26, of Edison with stab wounds,” the release stated. “Smith was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, where she was ultimately pronounced deceased.”
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Jordan D. Jackson-Small, the 35-year-old lover of Imani Dia Smith, has been detained and charged in relation to her demise.
According to the statement, Jackson-Small was apprehended without incident after a preliminary investigation.
Following his arrest, Jordan 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.
After the tragic incident, her family has since launched a GoFundMe fundraiser, which has raised more than $50,000 as of December 25.
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Imani Smith’s 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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