Boston Men Convicted Of Murder On 3rd Try

After two mistrials, two gang members have been sentenced to life in prison for killing an innocent bystander on a Boston street as retaliation for a prior shooting.

Antwan Carter and Daniel Pinckney were sentenced Thursday after being convicted Wednesday of the March 2007 shooting death of 18-year-old college honors student and Meals on Wheels volunteer Cedirick Steele.

On Wednesday, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley said the victory comes after the government charged its own key witness with perjury.

"That cannot go unpunished," Conley said. "That's why we brought the charges of perjury against them. And I want that to be a statement as well, that you're not going to lie in Suffolk County, whether it be in the grand jury or the courthouse, and get away with it."

Conley says he hopes the conviction sends a message to other gang members.

"Daniel Pinckney and Antwan Carter — two young men in their 20s — will spend the rest of their natural lives behind bars. I want young people out there who are carrying firearms to think about that," Conley said.

Prosecutors say the two men went to the city's Roxbury neighborhood to retaliate for the shooting of one of their gang associates, then randomly selected the victim. Authorities say Pinckney ordered Carter to do the shooting.

Lawyers for both defendants previously said their clients were not involved in Steele's death.

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