FALL RIVER — An associate of Aaron Hernandez, the former New England Patriots star convicted of murdering Odin Lloyd in 2013, pleaded guilty Monday to being an accessory to the killing and was sentenced to 4½ to 7 years in prison.

Carlos Ortiz, 30, had been charged with first-degree murder in the case, but the charge was dropped in exchange for his guilty plea.

At a sentencing hearing in Bristol Superior Court, Lloyd’s mother, Ursula Ward, described the pain her family has suffered but offered forgiveness to those responsible.

“My son was the light of my life … and the first, best gift that God gave me,’’ Ward told Judge E. Susan Garsh. “I forgive the ones that took my baby away from me. And I hope and pray that one day that they will be able to forgive themselves for taking the love of my life away from me.’’

As Ward spoke, Ortiz broke down in tears.

Hernandez was convicted in 2015 of shooting Lloyd, a Dorchester man who was dating the sister of Hernandez’s longtime girlfriend. Hernandez, Ortiz, and a third man, Ernest Wallace, picked Lloyd up in Dorchester and drove to a North Attleborough industrial park, where Lloyd was shot to death.

Wallace, 44, was acquitted of murder this May but was charged with being an accessory after the killing and sentenced to serve up to seven years in state prison.

After the shooting of Lloyd, Ortiz was seen on surveillance video from Hernandez’s former North Attleborough home with what appeared to be a gun in his hand.

On Monday, Ortiz admitted to being in Hernandez’s car before the shooting, helping to clean out the car, and making false statements to the police during the investigation.

Lloyd’s sister, Olivia Thibou, said no punishment will bring her brother back.

“It just doesn’t seem like it’s real,’’ she said. “It’s unfortunate because either sentence he got, he’s still living, and breathing, and every day gets to speak to someone of his family, and we don’t get that with Odin.’’

Ortiz’s lawyer, John Connors, said after the hearing that despite Ortiz’s admission, he was not responsible for Lloyd’s death.

“We have said all along that [Ortiz] was along for the ride,’’ Connors said. “He never expected there to be a murder — he expected to go out, do some local celebrating with the local hero, Aaron Hernandez, and this is what happened.’’

Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn called Lloyd’s killing brutal and senseless and said Ortiz’s sentence was just.

The motive for Lloyd’s killing was never clearly stated during Hernandez’s trial, but officials have said they believe he might have feared Lloyd knew too much about his alleged involvement in the fatal drive-by shootings in July 2012 of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado in Boston. Hernandez has pleaded not guilty in that case, which is pending in Suffolk Superior Court.

Trisha Thadani can be reached at trisha.thadani@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @TrishaThadani.