A Suffolk Superior Court judge today handed down the maximum sentence for the Roxbury man who shot and killed 22-year-old Chiara Levin during a gunfight with a rival, who was also injured in the shootout and will be tried for the young woman’s death next month.

Superior Court Judge Christine McEvoy sentenced CASIMIRO BARROS, 22 (D.O.B. 6/10/86), to a term of 19½ to 20 years in state prison following his conviction yesterday for voluntary manslaughter. McEvoy also sentenced Barros to an eight- to 10-year sentence for the charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, ordering that the sentences run consecutively for a total of 27½ to 30 years.

In addition to those sentences, which reflect the maximum terms for the charges for which Barros was convicted, McEvoy sentenced Barros to a four- to five-year sentence for unlawful possession of a firearm that will run concurrent with his second prison term.

“Why an individual would have a loaded gun ready to go at the slightest provocation is beyond my comprehension,” she said. “I saw pictures of a young, vital Chiara Levin and I heard the testimony not only of her friends, but also of people who met her in those early morning hours … and they were enchanted by her.”

McEvoy also noted the dearth of witnesses who aided the investigation.

“Of the 20 to 22 to 25 individuals at that party, only one witness had the courage to come forward to testify,” she said. “Because of that silence, the jury had to work harder” to return a just verdict.

Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley hailed the sentence, which approached the one recommended by Assistant District Attorney Edmond Zabin.

Prior to sentencing, several members of Levin’s family addressed the court in impact statements to describe the loss they have suffered since the young woman was caught in the crossfire between Barros and another man following an after-hours party at a Dorchester home. Evidence at trial showed that the two participants in that gunfight were motivated by a longstanding feud.

Levin’s father, William Robert Levin, spoke poignantly of his daughter’s life and death from the witness stand.

“One of the two lights of my life and that of my wife – our wonderful daughters – has been extinguished, and nothing on this earth, eat least, will ever reignite it,” he said. “Chiara, her entire family, and the many, many people who counted her among their friends are all continuing victims of the mindless, pathetic, idiocy of a small number of feuding people.”

“To visit, to observe a child’s passages through life, to care for and love that child for years to come whatever the circumstances: these are the true joys of parenthood of which, in regard to Chiara, my wife and I have been forever deprived,” he said.

Chiara Levin’s mother, Grazia, spoke next, describing the loss she has felt since her daughter’s death.

“How can I start talking about how Chiara’s murder has made an impact on me when from the first moment I realized I was expecting her, I was humbled by the gift of life; a gift so trashed by senseless violence,” she said.

“How can I put words to the nightmare of knowing that the person I have tried so hard to protect from harm ended up in a pool of blood, killed by a bullet fired by a hand that thought killing is an option? …. I wish that Chiara’s death has not been just another case in the long lists of victims of anger and violence.

“A few weeks before her death,” she continued, “Chiara told me that she wanted to do something meaningful for this world. I hope that with her death, she has been able to touch the heart of many, so that violence in all its forms can be stopped in our future.”

In recommending the maximum penalty on each charge, Zabin said that a harsh term was a much-needed deterrent to others who would use deadly violence indiscriminately on Boston’s streets.

“The defendant pulled out a semiautomatic handgun and fired five times at a motor vehicle parked in the middle of a densely populated residential street with six people in it,” Zabin said. “Everyone was in danger because of that act. As a society and as a city, we cannot live with that kind of violence …. The individuals involved in this feud need to know that putting the lives of innocent people in jeopardy is unacceptable. It needs to be addressed in the strongest possible terms.”

Speaking to the specific loss of a beloved daughter, sister, cousin, and friend, Zabin said, “The court has heard from members of Chiara Levin’s family and those statements speak for themselves. The loss of Chiara Levin has been devastating for members of her family and, I suggest, everyone whose life she touched.”

Over the course of a two-week trial, Zabin introduced the testimony of 29 separate witnesses and more than 300 physical exhibits to demonstrate that Levin, who was visiting family in Boston, was with friends from college when she met MANUEL “SPANK” ANDRADE (D.O.B. 10/30/73) and two other men outside a Tremont Street nightclub. Those men invited Levin and her friends to an after-hours party on Geneva Avenue; they accepted the invitation and rode to Dorchester in a Cadillac Escalade driven by Andrade’s cousin.

Barros arrived at the party shortly thereafter with several of his own friends, all of them associated with the Woodward Avenue section of Roxbury. Witness testimony indicated that the Roxbury and Dorchester groups had a longstanding rivalry.

After a period of time, Levin, her friends, and Andrade’s associates made their way out of the party and back into the Escalade. Meanwhile, inside the party, Andrade allegedly began to taunt one of Barros’ associates, sparking a verbal altercation that escalated when Andrade threw a plate of food at the man, pulled a handgun, and shot him in the shoulder before walking calmly out of the house.

As the other partygoers scattered, fled, and dove for cover, Barros drew his own firearm and stalked out of the house after Andrade. As Andrade approached the Escalade, now near the intersection of Geneva Avenue and Westville Street, the two men exchanged fire. In the course of that firefight, one of Barros’ rounds crashed through the rear passenger’s window of the vehicle and struck Levin in the head. She died of that injury. Andrade was also struck but survived his wounds.

Barros was represented by attorney Christopher Belezos. Andrade, who faces trial next month for his role in Levin’s homicide, is represented by attorney Rosemary Scappiccio.