Mark Small, of Elmont, gets 25 years in prison in death of Marivel Estevez, of Mineola

An Elmont man was given 25 years to life in prison Thursday after he was found guilty of murdering his girlfriend in her Mineola penthouse apartment more than two years ago, officials said.

Mark Small, 57, of Elmont, was sentenced to 25 years to life behind bars after a jury found him guilty of shooting and killing his girlfriend in July 2022, Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly announced Thursday.

Sometime overnight on July 28, 2022, into the next day, Small shot Marivel Estevez, his girlfriend, in her top floor apartment of the Allure apartment complex on Old Country Road in Mineola, where she worked in management, according to a release from Donnelly’s office.

When she failed to report for work on July 30, 2022, Nassau County police officers were sent to Estevez’s apartment for a wellness check, Donnelly said. Police found Estevez, 39, dead on her bed after she was shot once in her arm and once in the head.

After the shooting, Donnelly said Small, described as "a failed restaurateur who once operated a business in Rockville Centre" in the release, fled the apartment in Estevez’s car with Tuffy, the victim’s dog.

Police arrested Small on Aug. 2, 2022, at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, where he was being treated "after being struck by a car chasing after Estevez’s dog, who had escaped from him on the Long Island Expressway," according to Donnelly’s office.

On Sept. 26, a jury found Small guilty of second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon before Judge Helene Gugerty at Nassau County Court in Mineola, according to the district attorney.

In a statement, Donnelly described Estevez's death as a "callous and senseless act of violence."

"Rather than letting her leave New York to start a new job in a new state, [Small] decided that if he couldn't have her, no one could," Donnelly added. "We hope that this defendant’s sentencing brings a measure of closure to all those who are affected by Marivel’s tragic loss."

Stephen Drummond, the defense attorney representing Small, said he "intends to file an appeal," adding that while Small "respects the jury’s verdict ... he maintains his innocence."