The death of an ailing 2-month-old Steelton girl was considered suspicious almost from the moment paramedics arrived at her home. The room where the infant lived was filthy, investigators said. Her heart monitor had been turned off for hours before she died, and her parents, Kurt Chambers and Amanda Hall, were found to be using prescription drugs that weren't prescribed for them.

Dauphin County prosecutors explored every angle they could to try to charge Chambers and Hall with homicide for their baby's death in 2008, Chief Deputy District Attorney Sean McCormack said. But in the end, they settled for convicting the pair on child-endangerment charges.

The case climaxed Monday when Chambers pleaded guilty to two counts of child endangerment for neglect of his baby, Annabelle, and her year-old sister, Savannah. Judge Bernard L. Coates Jr. immediately sentenced the 28-year-old to 10 years probation and imposed a $1,000 fine under a plea deal.

The 29-year-old Hall pleaded guilty to the same charges in return for an identical sentence last month.

"Understand, you can't appear back before anyone else in this courthouse" for another crime, Coates warned Chambers. "I don't think that would be a good day for you."

McCormack said the endangerment charges in Annabelle's death were filed only when the bid to make a murder case failed.

Chambers said nothing before Coates sentenced him. His lawyer, Bryan McQuillan, said it is clear the baby "died of natural causes unrelated to the acts of Mr. Chambers."