Former Child Performer in Lion King Dies in Stabbing

A former child performer on Broadway who voiced Young Nala in The Lion King died after being stabbed in New Jersey—and a man described as her boyfriend is facing murder charges. Imani Smith, said to be either 25 or 26, died after being stabbed on Sunday at her home in Edison, according to the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office. Police responding to a 911 call found her with stab wounds and took her to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, reports the New York Times. Smith appeared as Young Nala in the Broadway production of the Disney production during the 2011-2012 season, per Deadline and Playbill.

Authorities say 35-year-old Jordan D. Jackson-Small was arrested without incident and has been charged with first-degree murder and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. Prosecutors said only that Smith and Jackson-Small knew each other and that the killing was "not a random act of violence." In a GoFundMe post, Smith's aunt, Kira Helper, identified Jackson-Small as Smith's boyfriend. She said Smith had a 3-year-old son.