NASHUA – About a dozen Nashua police officers, both on and off-duty, were on hand Monday morning for the video arraignment in Nashua district court of Katlyn Marin, the 26-year-old former Nashua resident accused in the beating death of her 3-year-old daughter.

Marin, formerly of 14 Oak St. and most recently of Goffstown, was arrested Friday, roughly five weeks after her daughter, Brielle Gage, died at a local hospital after suffering what police described as “blunt force trauma” injuries she suffered over the course of two days in November.

Marin is charged with one count of second-degree murder, a felony for which she entered no plea during the brief arraignment. She is being held without bail at the Hillsborough County Department of Corrections in Manchester.

She is next due in court on Tuesday, Jan. 13, for a probable cause hearing. Judge Gregory Michael, who presided over Monday’s proceedings, set the hearing for 8:15 a.m.

The charge of second-degree murder accuses Marin of recklessly causing her daughter’s death while showing an extreme indifference to the value of human life.

One of Marin’s her attorneys, public defender Justin Hayes, sat alone at the defense table. He and public defender Justin Shepherd are representing Marin.

Neither Hayes nor Shepherd had any comment following the arraignment.

Senior Assistant Attorney General Jeff Strelzin was accompanied by Assistant Attorney General Patrick Queenan on the prosecution side.

Strelzin said following the proceeding that the arrest documents have been sealed, but that more information may become available after the Jan. 13 probable cause hearing.

A number of Nashua police officers worked on the case, Strelzin said, describing the investigation as “a long process.”

“A lot of work has gone into this,” he added when asked about the police presence in the courtroom.

Strelzin declined to elaborate on the nature of the injuries Brielle Gage sustained, saying only that they are classified as blunt force trauma.

Marin is believed to have four other children, all of whom are in the custody of the Department of Child and Youth Services, according to Strelzin. He indicated Monday that the agency as “placed them” and that they are safe.

The fact that more than five weeks elapsed between Brielle’s death and Marin’s arrest doesn’t make the case unusual, Strelzin said. “Every case takes its own (amount of) time. Some take longer than others,” he said.

A man who identified himself as Marin’s father said he was there to support her. “I’m standing behind my daughter,” he said, before walking from the court.

The arrest of Marin came a little more than two weeks after an assistant Hillsborough County attorney had to nol-pros, or drop, a second-degree assault charge for which Marin was indicted in July.

Attorney Catherine Devine said in mid-December that she had no choice but to drop the charge, because the alleged victim, an 8-year-old boy who is one of Marin’s children, was afraid of her and was unable to testify against her.

That charge stemmed from Marin’s arrest in May, when she and her then-boyfriend, Michael Rivera, were each charged with second-degree assault for whipping and otherwise injuring the boy.

Dean Shalhoup can be reached at 594-6443 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com. Also follow Shalhoup on Twitter (@Telegraph_DeanS).

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