CNN  — 

A Utah teenager who helped a girl hang herself last year was sentenced Friday to between five years and life in prison as part of a plea deal.

On May 5, 16-year-old Jchandra Brown hanged herself at a campground in Payson, Utah. Her friend Tyerell Przybycien is accused of helping her by buying the rope and tying the noose she put around her neck, and the compressed air she used to knock herself out before dying.

Prosecutors said Przybycien bought the rope and tied the noose Brown put around her neck, and he purchased the compressed air she used to knock herself out before dying.

Przybycien encouraged Brown to go through with the suicide, even providing running commentary as he recorded her last moments on video, according to court documents.

Przybycien, now 19, had been charged with first-degree murder but in October agreed to plead guilty to child abuse homicide. He was given 580 days credit for time served in jail.

“What I did I’m not proud,” he said in court Friday, according to a report from CNN affiliate KSL, “and it doesn’t deserve pity.”

He added that he hopes Brown’s family will forgive him “for my immature and thoughtless and rash decisions.”

Brown’s mother, who brought a large framed photo of Jchandra to court, said she wanted Przybycien to be in prison.

“I don’t want him out to cause pain and havoc on anyone else’s family, anyone else’s children,” she said, according to KSL. “I cannot describe to you the pain of losing a child.”

Both the prosecution and defense agreed that Przybycien was involved in Brown’s death. The state had said Brown wouldn’t have killed herself if not for Przybycien’s involvement, which they say he talked about in texts and interviews.

If you suspect someone may be at risk:

  • 1. Do not leave the person alone.
  • 2. Remove any firearms, alcohol, drugs or sharp objects that could be used in a suicide attempt.
  • 3. Call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
  • 4. Take the person to an emergency room or seek help from a medical or mental health professional.
  • Source: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. For more tips and warning signs, click here.

    His defense, however, says Brown ultimately decided to end her life, and hung herself at the Maple Lake Campground. The site is about 15 miles south of Spanish Fork, where Przybycien lived, and about 25 miles south of Provo.

    CNN reached out to prosecution and defense attorneys but didn’t get any immediate replies.

    CNN affiliates reported that Przybycien was also sentenced in an unrelated case to five years, which he will serve at the same time as his homicide sentence.

    The case prompted Utah to pass a law this year making it illegal for someone to help another take their life.

    Asking for help

    The suicide rate in the United States has seen sharp increases in recent years. Studies have shown that the risk of suicide declines sharply when people call the national suicide hotline: 1-800-273-TALK.

  • There is also a crisis text line. For crisis support in Spanish, call 1-888-628-9454.
  • The lines are staffed by a mix of paid professionals and unpaid volunteers trained in crisis and suicide intervention. The confidential environment, the 24-hour accessibility, a caller’s ability to hang up at any time and the person-centered care have helped its success, advocates say.

    The International Association for Suicide Prevention and Befrienders Worldwide also provide contact information for crisis centers around the world.

    CNN’s Marlena Baldacci, AJ Willingham and Tony Marco contributed to this report.