CROWN POINT — A Lake County judge sentenced Lamont Turentine to 76 years in the Indiana Department of Correction Thursday for the 2019 murder of Tyran Bolling in Hammond.
According to the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office, Turentine was sentenced to 58 years for murder and an additional 18 years for a firearm enhancement. A Lake County jury previously found Turentine guilty following a multi-day trial.
The case stemmed from a shooting on December 13, 2019, outside a residence in the 4400 block of Henry Avenue in Hammond. According to court documents, Hammond Police were called around 12:15 a.m. after a report of a person shot. Officers found Bolling suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported to St. Margaret’s Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Investigators recovered six fired 9mm cartridge casings from the street near the scene, along with Bolling’s cellphone.
According to the affidavit, Bolling had been inside the home shortly before the shooting and told his girlfriend that his ride had arrived. She told investigators she saw a small older black vehicle pull up outside, watched Bolling walk toward it, and then saw the driver get out and fire several shots before driving away.
The investigation later focused on Turentine, who was known by the nickname “Ski.” Court documents state that Bolling had been messaging with a woman shortly before the shooting. Investigators said those Facebook messages showed the woman was supposed to pick Bolling up from the Henry Avenue address and that Turentine’s vehicle was referenced shortly before Bolling was killed.
Investigators also reviewed surveillance footage and license plate reader records, which they said showed Turentine’s black 1998 Honda Civic traveling from Chicago into Hammond shortly before the shooting, moving near the crime scene, and then heading back toward Chicago shortly afterward.
Court documents also state that investigators reviewed Facebook records showing Turentine, the woman, and Bolling knew one another, and that woman was allegedly romantically involved with both Bolling and Turentine.
Forensic testing later connected the six 9mm shell casings recovered from the Hammond murder scene to two cartridge casings previously recovered outside a Chicago residence where Turentine, Edwards, and another individual had been documented by Chicago Police months before the killing, according to the affidavit.
Prosecutor Bernard A. Carter said the sentence holds Turentine accountable for what he called a senseless act of violence.
“While no sentence can ever restore the life of Tyran Bolling or heal the tremendous loss suffered by his family, today’s sentence ensures that the individual responsible for this senseless act of violence is being held accountable,” Carter said.
Carter credited Supervising Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Infinity Westberg and Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Tara Villarreal for their work on the case, along with Hammond Police, ATF, FBI, Indiana State Police Laboratory, DNA Labs International, HIDTA, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, and other agencies involved in the investigation.
“This case is an example of what can be accomplished when local, state, and federal partners work together with one goal — to ensure justice is served,” Carter said.
Turentine will serve his sentence in the Indiana Department of Correction.
