Telegraph photo by DEAN SHALHOUP Gregory Zieroff, who was sentenced to 2-4 years in State Prison Monday, speaks with his lawyer, Attorney Michael Davidow, before the start of his plea and sentencing hearing.

NASHUA – Addressing the court at Monday’s plea and sentencing hearing for Gregory Zieroff, the former Hudson man charged with a prolonged spate of domestic violence against a one-time girlfriend, Assistant County Attorney Michele Battaglia said she recalls being impressed by how “knowledgable,” and “very smart, very determined” the victim was each time they met about the case.

“She was a very interesting person to me, because she was so knowledgable,” Battaglia said, as Zieroff listened from his seat at the defense table with attorney Michael Davidow.

“Not a lot of people come into the system asking the sort of questions that make you stop and think,” she added.

But tragically, the young woman wasn’t able to be there Monday to see justice served upon the man accused of inflicting multiple, serious injuries upon her over a nearly two year period – she was shot and killed five weeks ago as she fled a disturbance at a Manchester bar.

The alleged gunman was arrested and remains in custody in that case, which is unrelated to the domestic-violence case against Zieroff that was settled Monday with a plea agreement reached by the parties.

Nor does Zieroff have any connection to the Manchester disturbance that led to the shooting that killed the young woman, who was a passenger in a vehicle driven by another man when the shooting occurred.

Four women, at least two of whom are close family members of the victim, sat in the front row of Judge Charles Temple’s courtroom for Monday’s roughly 40-minute hearing.

As per the agreement, Zieroff, 34, entered guilty pleas to four felony charges and one misdemeanor, while Battaglia agreed to drop 11 other charges, which represent a mix of felonies and misdemeanors.

For sentencing purposes, the felony charges were divided into two groups, one of which included two counts of domestic violence-related stalking, and the other, one count each of domestic violence-related stalking and possession of a controlled drug.

Zieroff, per the agreement, was sentenced to 2-7 years in state prison, stand committed, on each of the first two charges, and 2-4 years in prison, all suspended for seven years, on the other two charges.

As for the misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest or detention, Zieroff was sentenced to 12 months in jail, stand committed, to be served concurrently with one of the stalking sentences.

He was given credit for the 330 days of time served in jail, bringing his minimum sentences on the two stand-committed terms to just over 13 months.

He also is ordered to pay $2,275 in restitution to the victim’s estate, and must follow all recommendations for counseling, treatment or education programs while in prison.

A batterers intervention program also is recommended, according to the agreement.

Zieroff, a large man with a full beard and numerous tattoos who worked skilled union jobs in the construction industry, opted not to address the court.

But two of the four women who represented the victim at the hearing did rise to address the court, telling Temple that Zieroff abused the victim “repeatedly from the beginning of their relationship … it continued until he was incarcerated, and (was) unable to harm her,” one of the women said.

Both lamented that because the victim “isn’t here to speak of the abuse and represent herself,” Zieroff “is not … answering to (additional) charges he should be answering to.”

While the victim reported numerous injuries Zieroff was accused of inflicting on her, there still were others “she did not report,” including “numerous concussions, broken bones … attempts to physically abort her son” before she gave birth to the child who is now about 18 months old.

Temple, clearly moved by the women’s words, noticed they were holding two photos of the victim, one with her son, and asked to see them.

“It’s hard sitting up here when you can’t see a face,” Temple said as he studied the photos. “Certainly, the faces I’ll remember from this case are these two right here.”

Their loved one “would be very proud of both of you for giving her a voice in the courtroom today,” Temple continued. Upon returning the photos to them, he said he hopes “you can keep those two very happy faces in mind as you move forward from this tragedy.”