Former Broadway actress killed in New Jersey

A former Broadway performer who once lit up the stage as Young Nala in The Lion King was killed in her New Jersey home.

26-year-old Imani Dia Smith was found with multiple stab wounds on December 21. Emergency crews rushed her to hospital, but doctors could not save her. She was pronounced dead soon after, authorities said.

Two days later, prosecutors confirmed an arrest. In a joint statement issued on December 23, police authorities said 35-year-old Jordan D. Jackson-Small had been charged in connection with Smith’s death, reports Fox News.

Officials noted that the suspect and the victim knew each other before the incident, ruling out a chance attack.

While police did not publicly describe the nature of their relationship, Jackson-Small has been 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.