NEW JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — Opening arguments began Monday in the trial for Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small. He is accused of beating his teenage daughter on multiple occasions from late 2023 into early 2024.
His wife, La’Quetta Small, and Atlantic City High School Principal Constance Days-Chapman are also facing charges for their alleged behavior.
La’Quetta, the Atlantic City School superintendent, is charged with physical and emotional abuse of their daughter. Days-Chapman allegedly failed to notify authorities when she learned of the situation.
Jury selection took three days and was not without controversy, as only one of the 12 jurors and two alternates selected is Black. The Smalls and Days-Chapman are Black.
Prosecutors allege that Small beat his daughter unconscious with a broom and repeatedly hit her in the legs. He is also accused of telling her to lie about the abuse.
The defense said Monday that he is not guilty. Small's attorney claimed that on one occasion, his daughter pulled out a butter knife and broom and attempted to use them on her dad. The defense claimed that Small then pushed back, and the girl hit her head.
The defense also said she acted "out of control" and "animal" when the girl's parents confronted her at age 15 about having sex with her boyfriend. They showed explicit text messages and videos of the teenager screaming and screeching at her parents as they tried to take her phone away.
Marty claimed the charges against him are politically motivated. He was offered a plea deal this summer to avoid jail time if he resigned as mayor and didn’t seek reelection, which he refused. He ran for reelection and won in November with more than 60% of the vote.
The Smalls called any allegations against them normal parental issues stemming from the stress of raising a teenage daughter. They said their home remains loving and intact.
A list of witnesses is expected to testify in the case. So far, the court has heard from a high school counselor, two employees from a mental health treatment center and a detective with the Atlantic County Prosecutor's office. Small's daughter, now 17, is expected to give testimony at some point during the trial. Testimony is set to resume Tuesday morning.
If convicted, Small could face more than 20 years in prison and be ineligible to serve out his term as mayor.