A West Newfield man accused of killing a recovery community activist pleaded not guilty to murder during a brief court hearing in York County Superior Court on Tuesday.

Gary Mariner, 65, of West Newfield, is being held in York County Jail on a murder charge in the death of Danielle Goodwin, 52, of Freeport. Goodwin’s body was discovered near Home Depot in South Portland on Sept. 5.

Police believe Goodwin was killed in West Newfield, but little else about the case against Mariner has been publicly released.

Justice James Martemucci unsealed a police affidavit on Tuesday that would provide additional details, but a copy of the affidavit was not available because state offices were closed because of Monday’s storm.

Goodwin earned her substance counseling degree and played a pivotal role in supporting many Mainers who struggled with addiction, according to those who knew her.

Her mother, Patricia Goodwin, previously said that her daughter had recently relapsed, and disappeared in September.

Mariner, the son of a former Cape Elizabeth police chief, has a criminal history dating to 1978. He recently served four years in prison for gross sexual assault after intimidating a sex worker into giving him free sex by impersonating a police officer. He was freed in 2017, but is required to register with the Maine Sex Offender registry for the rest of his life.