A man convicted of a 2016 double slaying in a busy LCBO parking lot in Toronto’s east end received two automatic life sentences Wednesday.

In March, a jury found Harris Nnane guilty of two counts of first-degree murder for the shooting deaths of Joseph Anzolona, 26, and Cynthia Mullapudi, 24.

They died sitting in the back seat of a Honda Pilot SUV parked outside the liquor store at Victoria Park Ave. and Ellesmere Rd.

Police believe Anzolona was targeted and that Mullapudi was hit with gunfire because she was sitting next to him. Mullapudi was a friend of a female passenger in the front seat of the car and had just met Anzolona that evening.

The sentencing was delayed after the defence argued a mistrial should be declared because of a letter a juror sent to the judge after the verdicts. Superior Court Justice Kelly Byrne heard in-camera arguments but ultimately dismissed the application without publicly revealing the contents of the letter.

The judge said she accepted the Crown and defence joint recommendation that Nnane’s life sentences run concurrently, with no parole eligibility for 25 years, beginning May 1, 2016, the day he was arrested.

Family and loved ones of the victims said they were relieved someone has been held accountable for the crimes, while resigned to the fact that nothing will bring them back.

Shobha Mullapudi said her first-born daughter was a “wonderful, loving” woman who was always there for her two younger sisters “whenever they needed her.” Cynthia had graduated from the University of Toronto with a science degree, she said.

“I have a hope I will see her one day, I’m living with that hope,” she said quietly in the lobby of the Superior Court of Justice.

Her husband, John Mullapudi, thanked Toronto police, particularly retired Det.-Sgt Gary Giroux, who attended court Wednesday, and prosecutors Rob Fried and Sam Walker for their hard work on the case.

Alexandra, who didn’t want her last name used, said she lost her “other half” when Mullapudi died. They had become close friends after meeting at work.

“She was super kind, caring sweet, gentle, generous, someone who you would want to be in your life,” she said. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get that part of me back, but today is the road to start healing again.”

Michael Reid, a pastor in east-end Toronto, said too many young black men are losing their lives to violence. He first met Anzolona when he was a boy attending church.

“They’re dying daily by guns, and the question I ask — where are the guns and drugs coming from?” He said governments need to spend more money to stem the flow of firearms “and make our city better for young kids,” while the church can play an important role instilling discipline and direction.

During the sentencing, the judge asked Nnane if he had anything to say to the court.

The 27-year-old offered his condolences to the victims’ families, but said he was “not the person responsible.” He added the trial was an “injustice” before sitting down.

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On April 29, 2016, Nnane and a friend entered the LCBO outlet around 9:40 p.m., saw Anzolona and then walked toward him to get a closer look. Surveillance video shows Anzolona turning away from the pair as they approached.

About a minute later, the jury accepted the Crown’s theory that Nnane left the liquor outlet to get a gun from his girlfriend’s Ford Fusion and then opened fire on Anzolona, also striking and killing Mullapudi, who was sitting beside him.