Mackenzie Shirilla, Strongsville, Ohio teen found guilty of intentionally crashing her vehicle into brick wall at 100mph, killing her boyfriend, Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan. Had sought to end their ‘toxic relationship’.
‘Literal hell on wheels.’ An Ohio teen on Monday was found guilty of intentionally driving and crashing her vehicle at top speeds into a building in a bid to kill her boyfriend, leading also to the death of a second man in the vehicle, last year.
Mackenzie Shirilla, 19, of Strongsville, was found guilty Monday of murder, aggravated vehicular homicide, and numerous other charges in connection with the deaths of 20-year-old Dominic Russo and 19-year-old Davion Flanagan, Cleveland.com reported.
Prosecutors alleged that Shirilla, then 17, drove her 2018 Toyota Camry with the three occupants into the brick building intentionally on July 31, 2022 to kill Russo in an effort to end their chaotic relationship.
Prosecutors argued that Shirilla sought to end toxic relationship
Shirilla denied the allegations, with her attorney, James McDonnell, arguing in court that the state failed to demonstrate the crash was on purpose and that she could have lost control of the vehicle, according to Fox 8.
But Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley noted that the defendant was recorded on video accelerating the vehicle just on 5.30 a.m and turning abruptly left and right before she crashed. Data from the vehicle showed no attempts to stop or slow down.
A passerby spotted the crash nearly 45 minutes later and called police, who found Russo and Flanagan dead. Shirilla was trapped in the driver’s seat with one of her fuzzy Prada slippers stuck to the accelerator, with firefighters prying her out.
At the time, Shirilla was allegedly high after smoking marijuana and had levels of THC beyond the state’s legal limit.
‘There is no doubt that this happened because of the relationship with Dominic and the defendant’s intent was clearly to end that, and she took everybody that was in the car with her,’ O’Malley said, according to WKYC-TV.
Eligible for parole in 15 years
Prosecutors seized on statements Shirilla made weeks before the crash, including a video showing her and Russo arguing in which Shirilla threatened to key her boyfriend’s car. As she recovered in the hospital after the crash, doctors noted that Shirilla expressed ‘grief, guilt and shame’ about the accident. Prosecutors painted those statements as evidence that Shirilla had ‘consciousness of guilt.’
Her attorney, James McDonnell, said it was natural for drivers in fatal crashes to feel bad, but it doesn’t make them murderers.
Discussing the decision to charge the teen with murder, ‘When you drive for four or five seconds with the pedal all the way down until you hit 100 mph into a building, we felt the charge was appropriate.’
Shirilla faces an automatic life sentence in prison but will be eligible for parole in 15 years, according to Cleveland.com.
‘Literal hell on wheels.’
In handing down the conviction, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Nancy Margaret Russo described Shirilla as ‘literal hell on wheels.’
‘She had a mission, and she executed it with precision,’ the judge said. ‘The decision was death.’
Judge Russo heard the 4 day trial last week without a jury before sentencing Shirilla on Monday to life behind bars, ineligible for parole until a minimum of 15 years served.
‘This was not reckless driving,’ Russo said. ‘This was murder.’
