Imani Dear Smith’s family is going through unimaginable hardship this holiday season.
The 26-year-old, who played young Nala in Broadway’s “The Lion King” from 2011 to 2012, died on December 21, New Jersey officials confirmed in a press release.
Smith was found stabbed by authorities who responded to a 911 call and was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. She is survived by her 3-year-old son, her parents Monique Lance Helper and Rowni Helper, and two brothers.
After her death, police announced the arrest of the suspect, 35-year-old Jordan D. Jackson Small.
Officials did not disclose the nature of their relationship, but a press release stated that “Smith and Jackson-Small knew each other prior to the incident and therefore this was not a random act of violence.”
“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,” authorities confirmed.
He is being held at the Middlesex County Adult Correctional Center pending the outcome of a pretrial detention hearing.
