When you said engine cranks and then just give up, I interpret that as battery just run out of juice. Your car is fairly new, so with exception battery discharge from over cranking I rule out the Starter, and fuel delivery. fuses and relays (ecm relay, fuel pump fuse & relay, ignition relay) are a possibility. jump starting did not work so its not battery.
A little over a week ago there was a very similar scenario like yours. the only diffference is you haven't removed your battery for testing or install a new battery. i am convinced the anti-theft immobilizer was triggered because of so much cranking. i believe you can only cranks a number of times after which the ECM will put vehicle in lockdown mode. their mechanic told them to do the anti-theft reset procedure and "VOILA" car started. i am not aware the reset is available on 3rd gen Altima but this Nissan is a Maxima. so here's the link on this forum. try this and let us know if that work.
http://x.nissanhelp.com/forums/newre...uote=1&p=87097