A Queens woman who worked at a domestic violence shelter and was described by her family as “passionate about helping people” was shot to death by her ex-con fiancé and left inside his home until her body decomposed, police and the victim’s sister said.
Angelique Apostol, 38, was discovered dead on June 24 inside the St. Albans residence of her partner, Mark Washington, according to cops and relatives.
Her sister, Melanie Apostol, 37, said Angelique was last seen alive on June 10 — the same day she and Washington had planned to go to Madison Square Garden for Game 4 of the Knicks’ historic championship run, a game they never attended.
Investigators believe Washington shot Apostol in the head, but her body had decomposed so severely by the time she was found that authorities initially could not see the gunshot wound, police and sources said.
Melanie said she identified her sister after officers showed her tattoos on the victim’s body — tattoos bearing the names of Melanie’s children.
On the day she was allegedly killed, Apostol and Washington had attended a charity event together, Melanie said.
“They were seen on the Ring camera from neighbors returning together, and then him leaving the residence, maybe like a half-an-hour, 45 minutes later without her and his belongings,” the grieving sister said.
Nearly three months after Apostol’s body was found, Washington — who has 11 prior arrests — remains on the run in connection with the fatal shooting, police said.
“I know he discarded her and he shot her in the face, which was intentional because we couldn’t even say goodbye to her,” Melanie said. “We couldn’t have an open casket, and he left her there like roadkill. So I’m asking… if anybody can help or locate this person or their whereabouts, any type of information, please, I’m begging.”
Melanie said she would have never expected her sister’s relationship to turn violent.
The two often posted on TikTok together, and even shared a video of their engagement on the platform.
“That was her fiancé, and that’s all I really knew about her relationship,” Melanie said. “We thought everything was, you know, fine because they posted so many TikToks together. They were always with each other.
“She trusted him and she did love him, and she would have never suspected that he would have done anything like this. Because if she would, she would have left him.”
Angelique loved taking care of her sister’s kids — ages 17, 14, 11 and 5 — the two youngest of whom are on the autism spectrum, according to Melanie.
“She [signed up for] home health aide classes for me…. she didn’t have to be a home health aide, but she signed up for it so that she could help me with my two special needs children,” Melanie said. “She didn’t have any children on her own. She took care of everyone’s children.”
Angelique also cared deeply about the very cause that later took her own life, Melanie added.
“She worked in a domestic violence shelter — which is the ironic part about it — in upstate New York,” Melanie said.
Angelique — who divided her time between her sister’s Staten Island home, Washington’s home and upstate — also handed out soup to the homeless last winter at the Staten Island Ferry terminal.
The summer months have been “devastating” for Angelique’s family as they await closure.
“We’ve been sitting patiently, trying to figure out what to do. Everyone is in a standstill. No one knows how to move forward,” Melanie said.
Washington’s arrest history includes an attempted murder charge for a Feb. 19, 2002 shooting that injured a 41-year-old man in Queens, according to cops.
The disposition of that case was not immediately clear.
He also served more than two years in state prison on a first-degree reckless endangerment conviction – from September of 2019 through February of 2022, according to State Corrections records.
The NYPD released photos of the suspected killer so the public can be on the lookout.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at on X @NYPDTips.
