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Man Charged in Fatal Stabbing of Former 'Lion King' Child Actress in New Jersey

Prosecutors describe the killing as a domestic case.

Overview

  • Middlesex County prosecutors charged 35-year-old Jordan D. Jackson-Small with first-degree murder, child endangerment, and weapons offenses in the death of Imani Dia Smith.
  • Jackson-Small was arrested and is being held at the Middlesex County Adult Corrections Center awaiting a court hearing with no date announced.
  • Authorities responded to a 911 call on Sunday, December 21, in Edison, where Smith was found with multiple stab wounds and later died at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.
  • Officials said the attack was not random and stemmed from a domestic situation, a factor that also underpins the child-endangerment count.
  • Smith, known for playing Young Nala in The Lion King on Broadway, leaves a 3-year-old son, and a family GoFundMe had raised more than $67,500 by Dec. 26.