Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced the indictment of an Elmont man on murder and weapons charges for the shooting death of his girlfriend in her Mineola apartment in July.
Mark Small, 55, was arraigned today before Judge Helene Gugerty on charges including Murder in the Second Degree (an A-I felony) and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree (a C violent felony). The defendant pleaded not guilty and was remanded. If convicted, the defendant faces up to 25 years to life in prison. He is due back in court on October 21, 2022.
“Marivel Estevez had recently told friends and family members that she wanted to end her relationship with Mark Small and move to Florida,” DA Donnelly said. “The defendant, however, was unwilling to let her go and is accused of murdering Marivel in cold blood at her Mineola apartment. The murder of this young woman was a calculated and cowardly act, and my office will vigorously prosecute this case.”
DA Donnelly said that, according to the investigation, 39-year-old Marivel Estevez worked in management at the Allure Mineola apartment complex on Old Country Road and resided there.
Between the evening hours of July 28 and the early morning hours of July 29, the defendant and Estevez were present together in her Penthouse apartment where they both lived. During that time, the defendant allegedly shot the victim with a handgun, once in the head and once in the torso, and then fled in Estevez’s car.
When Estevez failed to show up for work on July 30 an employee called police for a wellness check. Responding Nassau County Police Department officers found Estevez deceased laying on her bed.
Small – a restaurateur who recently operated a business in Rockville Centre – was arrested at the hospital by members of the NCPD after he was struck by a car while chasing a dog on the Long Island Expressway on August 2. The dog belonged to Estevez.
The case is being prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsel Tracy Keeton of the Homicide Bureau. The defendant is represented by Stephen Drummond, Esq.
The charges are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty.