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Former ‘Lion King’ Young Nala Imani Dia Smith Fatally Stabbed in New Jersey as Partner Is Charged With Murder

The accused remains jailed pending a detention hearing with no publicly disclosed motive.

Overview

  • Police responded to a 911 call just after 9 a.m. on December 21 at Smith’s home in Edison, New Jersey, and she was pronounced dead at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.
  • Authorities arrested Jordan D. Jackson-Small, 35, on December 23 without incident and charged him with first-degree murder and multiple weapons offenses.
  • Prosecutors also filed a child endangerment charge after officials said Smith’s three-year-old son was at the residence during the attack.
  • Jackson-Small is being held at the Middlesex County Adult Correctional Center as the investigation remains active with no public motive.
  • Smith, 26, performed as Young Nala in The Lion King on Broadway from 2011 to 2012, and her family has launched a GoFundMe to cover funeral, therapy, legal and caregiving costs.