The last of three people charged in the death five years ago of a 3-year-old Billings boy was sentenced Thursday in District Court.

Jennifer Anne Larson received a 10-year suspended prison sentence for felony criminal endangerment related to the Sept. 7, 2004, death of Ropati “Lupe” Mulipola. The boy died three days after Larson’s former husband, Thomas Larson, picked him up by his ankles and dropped him on his head as punishment.

Judge Russell Fagg also ordered Larson to pay about $10,000 in joint restitution, and he warned the woman she was “one step away” from incarceration at Montana Women’s Prison if she failed to follow the conditions of her probationary sentence.

Larson tearfully apologized during the court hearing, which included testimony from the victim’s grandfather. Lar-son repeatedly said she was sorry that she didn’t get Lupe help after he was injured.

“I’m sorry that it happened the way it did,” she said, fighting back tears. “I’m just so sorry. I wish I could fix it.”

The Larsons and Lupe’s mother, Jessica Thompson, were each charged with deliberate homicide shortly after the child’s death. Jennifer Larson cooperated with police and prosecutors from the beginning of the case, Deputy County Attorney Rod Souza said. Of the three defendants, she was the least culpable for the child’s death, he said.

But as the boy’s babysitter, Larson had a duty to get Lupe medical attention, a duty she failed after her husband injured the boy and all three adults ignored for hours signs that the child had suffered a serious head injury.

Larson pleaded guilty to the lesser charge in August, admitting that she knew her former husband could be violent and that he had disciplined Lupe excessively. Thomas Larson was angry at the boy because he had injured the Larsons’ 14-month-old daughter by twisting her arm.

After his head was slammed into the floor, Lupe began vomiting and soiled his clothing, leading to more discipline. It wasn’t until the boy had a seizure five hours later that 911 was called. He was taken to St. Vincent Healthcare on Sept. 4, 2004, and died three days later.

Thomas Larson pleaded guilty to deliberate homicide and was sentenced in June 2008 to 30 years in prison. Thompson pleaded guilty to negligent homicide and was sentenced in May 2008 to 15 years in prison, with seven years suspended.

Thompson’s father, Douglas Thompson, spoke briefly at the sentencing hearing Thursday. He said the death of his grandchild had “changed a lot of lives.”

“I would like you to consider that sometimes a little jail time is appropriate,” he told the judge.

Larson’s defense attorney, Robert Stephens, said his client was “not the same young woman” she was five years ago. She has participated in extensive therapy and made “profound improvements” in her life since the child’s death, he said.

Stephens urged the judge to follow the plea agreement, which reduced the murder charge to criminal endangerment and called for the suspended prison sentence.

Fagg said the plea agreement was appropriate. He acknowledged that Larson’s remorse appeared genuine, and said Larson would be allowed to withdraw her guilty plea if he imposed a harsher sentence He also said Larson had spent four days in jail after her arrest.

Souza said several factors led to the delay in Larson’s case, including her cooperation and willingness to testify against the other defendants. Serious plea negotiations in her case began only after the other two cases were resolved and sentences imposed, he said.