Imani Dia Smith, Broadway actor best known for playing the young Nala in the stage adaptation of The Lion King, has been stabbed to death at the age of 25. She was found with stab wounds at her residence in New Jersey on Sunday, December 21, after it was flagged by a 911 emergency call.
“On December 21, 2025, at 9:18 A.M., authorities received a 911 call reporting a stabbing. Upon their arrival to a residence on Grove Avenue, they discovered Imani Smith, 26, of Edison with stab wounds. Smith was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital where she was ultimately pronounced deceased,” stated a press release issued by the office of the county prosecutor in New Jersey.
Imani’s 35-year-old boyfriend charged with murder
As per People, Imani’s 35-year-old boyfriend Jordan D. Jackson-Small was arrested was arrested for her murder. “Moreover, Smith and Jackson-Small knew each other prior to the incident, thus it was not a random act of violence,” added the release. After an initial investigation, he was charged on multiple counts.
“Jackson-Small was arrested without incident and 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. Jackson-Small is being held at the Middlesex County Adult Correctional Center pending the results of his Pre-Trial detention hearing,” stated the press release.
Imani survived by 3-year-old son, parents
Meanwhile, Smith’s family has set up a GoFundMe fundraiser page has already collected over $50,000 as of December 25. “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,” wrote her aunt Kira Helper on behalf of the family on the GoFundMe page.
“Imani had her whole life ahead of her. She was a vivacious, loving and 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,” her aunt wrote on the page.
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She further wrote that the money collected through the GoFundMe will be funnelled into funeral and memorial expenses, crime scene cleanup at Smith’s residence, her family’s trauma therapy, legal and administrative expenses linked to the proceedings, and care for Smith’s son and dog. Her mother is a hairdresser in Hollywood films, one of her recent credits being The Housemaid.
