Relatives of two men gunned down in a hail of bullets that nearly claimed a third life mourned 29-year-old Jesse Calhoun and 29-year-old Robert Turner, Jr., as their killers were sentenced to life behind bars today.

Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said ALEXANDER BOLLING (D.O.B. 6/17/83) of Mattapan and TANEIKA BRITT (D.O.B. 9/25/76) of Roxbury were sentenced to two life sentences each for the murders, plus concurrent sentences of 15 to 20 years for the attempted murder of the surviving victim and four to five years for unlawfully possessing the firearms used in the deadly barrage.

Suffolk Superior Court Judge Frank Gaziano handed down the sentences after a jury found Bolling guilty of first-degree murder for Calhoun’s death and second-degree murder for Turner’s and found Britt guilty of first-degree murder for both slayings. Jurors returned those verdicts – plus the attempted murder and gun verdicts – late Friday after eight days of testimony and almost two full days of deliberations.

Calhoun’s sister, Tyra Calhoun, counted the days since her brother’s death, telling Gaziano that “Jesse’s murder took everything from me [and] gave me tears upon tears, pain upon pain.”

Another sister, Deanie Robinson, told the court that Calhoun “was the person the family called when you had a problem. He always had time for you, no matter what … Every day he would visit his mother in the hospital and bring her dinner, get in bed next to her, play with her hair, and make her feel like the luckiest mother in the world.”

Turner’s sister, Marcella Pleas, said, “Although the verdict will not bring my brother back, I am at peace knowing that his killers have gotten what they deserve.”

Turner’s mother shared a story about his last birthday present to her.

“He told me, ‘Ma, I don’t have any money to buy you anything for your birthday, so the baby and I will hang out with you for the whole day.’ That was the best birthday present he gave me in years. It was also the last family photo we took.”

Evidence and testimony elicited by Assistant District Attorneys David Fredette and Julie Higgins during eight full days of testimony showed that Bolling and Britt were parked in front Britt’s Williams Street residence in the early morning hours of Aug. 2, 2007, when the victims pulled up in a separate vehicle.

Britt and Calhoun had previously been in a dating relationship but had become embroiled in a dispute over money.

A short time after Calhoun, Turner, and the third victim arrived, the evidence showed, Bolling and Britt exited their vehicle. Bolling carried a .40 caliber handgun and Britt a 9mm. The two approached the victims, who were still in their car, and fired a total of 14 shots at the occupants.

Calhoun was pronounced dead at the scene. Turner was transported to the Boston Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries. The surviving victim, who had been seated in the back seat, climbed into the front and drove himself to the Boston Police District B-2 station seeking assistance; he was transported by ambulance to Brigham and Women’s Hospital and ultimately survived.

Boston Police homicide detectives arrested both defendants early on Dec. 21 in the course of a far-reaching investigation on the street and in the Suffolk County Special Grand Jury. They were indicted in March 2008 and have been held without bail pending trial.

“A careful investigation, an aggressive prosecution, and witness cooperation – that’s what it takes to build and prove these cases,” Conley said.

Catherine Yuan was the assigned victim-witness advocate. Bolling was represented by attorneys Stephen Hrones and John Amabile. Britt was represented by attorney John Palmer.