Sandra Trotter, 41, stared ahead as Broward Circuit Judge Michael Gates pronounced sentence, which also included four years probation, 500 hours of community service and the stipulation that she never work as a caretaker for children or disabled adults again.

The victim, 15-year-old Anthony Dumas, had been sent to the Lippman Center, 221 NW 43rd Ct. in Oakland Park, a shelter for runaways and troubled youths. Lutheran Family Services runs the center under contract with the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice.

His mother and father let a judge send him there for attacking his mother because they had no money to pay for his counseling, which they knew he needed.

In June 2000, sometime after 9 p.m., Anthony hanged himself from the top bunk bed in his room, using his black woven leather belt. Prosecutor Dennis Siegel said it would have been simple to lift Anthony about a foot onto the first bunk, to relieve the noose's pressure.

After the incident, Trotter told police and other investigators that she was afraid to touch the teenager, because she feared she would hurt him further. The photos were to keep a record so she would not be sued. She later said she tried to cut the belt but had no access to scissors and no help from fellow employees.