PORTAGE, Wis. -- A woman accused of helping a gang of drifters torture a boy nearly to death in Portage last summer has pleaded no contest to child abuse and false imprisonment charges on Friday morning.

Michaela Clerc, 21, was accused of helping whip and burn the 11-year-old boy. She also was accused of helping stuff him in a closet naked and malnourished.

She pleaded no contest Friday in Columbia County Court to being party to false imprisonment, mayhem, causing a child mental harm and physical child abuse.

District Attorney Jane Kohlwey had charged Clerc with helping kill the boy's mother, Tammie Garlin, and burying her behind the house the group had rented in Portage. She dropped those counts in November, saying that she couldn't prove Clerc took part in the killing.

"We are developing a clearer idea of what happened at that house. We believe Ms. Clerc played a role in what happened. We believe justice was served with these charges," Kohlwey said.

Clerc reached a plea deal with prosecutors to resolve her case. Attorney Mark Frank said prosecutors have agreed to drop five other counts against his client, including being a party to battery, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and obstructing an officer.

"I think that the charges depict her role. Whether it's a good or bad deal remains to be seen. She's 21 years old with no criminal record," Frank said.

Clerc still faces more than 73 years in prison, WISC-TV reported.

Clerc, who was Garlin's alleged lover, was originally accused, along with two others -- Michael Sisk, 25, and his girlfriend, Candace Clark, 23 -- with killing Garlin, 36, hiding her corpse and abusing Garlin's son. Sisk and Clark have entered not-guilty pleas in their cases.

Garlin's body was found buried behind the group's house in June. The couple also is accused of torturing Garlin's then 11-year-old son, who was found locked in a closet. They allegedly beat Garlin's son with extension cords and pots and pans, burned him with hot water and forced him to sleep naked in the closet.

According to a criminal complaint released last year, the boy told detectives everyone in the group except his mother tortured him.

Stay tuned to WISC-TV and Channel 3000 for continuing coverage.