LI Man Gets 25 To Life In Prison For Killing Girlfriend: Nassau DA

MINEOLA, NY — An Elmont man has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for murdering his girlfriend in 2022, prosecutors said.

Mark Small, 57, was convicted on September 26 of second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

"Mark Small shot and killed his girlfriend inside her own apartment, and today’s sentence reflects the seriousness of this callous and senseless act of violence," said Nassau County District Attorney Donnelly said. "Rather than letting her leave New York to start a new job in a new state, this defendant decided that if he couldn't have her, no one could."

Small – a failed restaurateur who once operated a business in Rockville Centre – was arrested on August 2, 2022, at North Shore University Hospital, Donnelly said.

Small’s girlfriend, Marivel Estevez, worked in management at the Allure Mineola apartment complex on Old Country Road in Mineola. She resided in a top-floor penthouse, prosecutors said.

Between the evening hours of July 28, 2022, and the early morning hours of July 29, 2022, Small shot Estevez with a handgun once in the arm and once in the head and then fled in Estevez’s car with her dog, Tuffy, the D.A.'s office said.

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 on her bed, prosecutors said.

"We hope that this defendant’s sentencing brings a measure of closure to all those who are affected by Marivel’s tragic loss," Donnelly said.