MAYS LANDING, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small’s daughter took the stand on Tuesday to testify in his child abuse trial. Small and his wife, La’Quetta Small, are charged with physically and emotionally abusing their then-15-year-old daughter on multiple occasions between late 2023 and early 2024.
During her testimony, the teenager, now 17, detailed how she was allegedly beaten by her parents. She answered prosecutors’ questions about getting knocked unconscious after she said her father hit her with a broomstick. She was taken to the hospital three days later after complaining about headaches.
The girl also said her father punched her in the legs and hit her with a belt, and she said her mother beat her in her grandmother’s bedroom.
Prosecutors played audio recordings of fights between the girl and other family members, including her parents, grandmother and brother. The girl’s boyfriend would secretly record some of the family fights, even going on Instagram Live to talk about them.
In one audio clip, Marty Small threatened to “earth-slam” her because she was fighting with everyone in the house and refused to get ready for an event.
During cross-examination, the defense asked the teen if she ever exaggerated the abuse in her messages to her boyfriend. She said no. Some of the claims made in private messages to her boyfriend alleged abuse that she didn’t mention during testimony.
The defense then went over multiple statements she gave to police, in which she said she didn’t feel unsafe at home and that she wasn’t afraid of her parents.
Marty Small is also accused of telling his daughter to lie about the abuse.
The Smalls have repeatedly said this was a personal family issue that comes with the challenges of raising a teenager, and that their home remains loving and intact.
Marty Small has also called the charges politically motivated. He was offered a plea deal over the summer, in which he could avoid jail time by resigning as mayor and not seeking reelection. He refused. He ran for reelection and won in November with more than 60% of the vote.
If convicted, he would be barred from serving out his term and could spend more than 20 years behind bars.
Both he and La’Quetta Small, who is the superintendent of Atlantic City Public Schools, have pleaded not guilty. LaQuetta Small’s trial is scheduled to take place in the new year.
Atlantic City High School principal Constance Days-Chapman is also facing charges for allegedly failing to notify authorities when she learned of the alleged abuse.