Broadway Star Imani Dia Smith Killed

A beloved Broadway star tragically silenced: Imani Dia Smith, known for her role

as Young Nala in Disney’s The Lion King, was found stabbed to death in her

Edison, New Jersey home. On Sunday morning, December 21, 2025,

first responders arrived to find the 26-year-old mother of a 3-year-old boy with multiple

stab wounds. She was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital.

Authorities swiftly arrested 35-year-old Jordan Jackson-Small, Smith’s boyfriend, charging him with:

* First-degree murder * Second-degree endangering the welfare of a child * Third-degree possession

of a weapon for an unlawful purpose * Fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon