Broadway alum Imani Smith fatally stabbed in New Jersey
Imani Dia Smith, 26, a former Broadway actress, was fatally stabbed in her New Jersey home, police say. Authorities arrested 35-year-old Jordan D. Jackson-Small, who officials say knew Smith, and charged him with first-degree murder, second-degree endangering the welfare of a child and weapons offenses; a family GoFundMe has raised over $65,000 to cover funeral costs, crime-scene cleanup, trauma therapy and support for her 3-year-old son.
📌 Key Facts
- Imani Dia Smith, 26, a former Broadway actress, was fatally stabbed in her New Jersey home.
- The suspect is 35-year-old Jordan D. Jackson-Small; police say he and Smith knew each other and that the attack was not a random act.
- Jackson-Small was 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.
- Smith’s family GoFundMe has raised over $65,000, exceeding its $50,000 goal, to pay for funeral costs, crime-scene cleanup, trauma therapy and ongoing support for her 3-year-old son.
- The reporting and updates were published by Fox News (article titled “Former Broadway actress stabbed to death in her New Jersey home, police say”) on Dec. 27, 2025.
📊 Relevant Data
Racial and ethnic disparities in county-level intimate partner homicide rates in the US are largely mediated by social determinants of health, such as median income, school funding, and violent crime rates, with no independent association between racial composition and homicide rates after controlling for these factors.
Inequities in Intimate Partner Homicide: Social Determinants of Health Mediate Racial/Ethnic Disparities — American Journal of Preventive Medicine
Black females have been murdered by males at higher rates compared to females of all other races consistently from 1996 to 2020 in the US.
When Men Murder Women: A Review of 25 Years of Female Homicide Victimization in the United States — Violence Policy Center
One in 15 children in the US are exposed to intimate partner violence each year, and 90% of these children are eyewitnesses to this violence.
Statistics — National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
In intimate partner homicides in 16 US states, approximately 20% of victims are not the intimate partners but corollary victims such as family members, friends, or bystanders, including children.
Guns and Violence Against Women: America’s Uniquely Lethal Intimate Partner Violence Problem — Everytown Research & Policy
For children under age 13 who are victims of gun homicide in the US, nearly one-third are connected to intimate partner or family violence.
Guns and Violence Against Women: America’s Uniquely Lethal Intimate Partner Violence Problem — Everytown Research & Policy
📰 Sources (2)
- Confirms the victim’s full name as Imani Dia Smith and notes her age as 26.
- Identifies the suspect as 35-year-old Jordan D. Jackson-Small and states that officials say he and Smith knew each other, indicating it was not a random act.
- Details the specific charges against Jackson-Small: 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.
- Adds that Smith’s family GoFundMe has raised over $65,000, exceeding the initial $50,000 goal, and lists intended uses including funeral costs, crime-scene cleanup, trauma therapy and ongoing support for her 3-year-old son.