Mackenzie Shirilla, a 19-year-old Ohio resident, has been found guilty of murder for intentionally driving her car into a brick building at 100 mph, killing her boyfriend and another passenger with her video viral on Reddit
Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Nancy Margaret Russo convicted Shirilla on all 12 charges, including murder, aggravated vehicular homicide, felonious assault, and drug possession, for the 2022 crash that took the lives of her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, 20, and their friend, Davion Flanagan, 19.
Ohio teen Mackenzie Shirilla car driving video goes viral on Twitter, Reddit as she’s found guilty
Mackenzie Shirilla found guilty of intentional murder
“This was not reckless driving,” Judge Russo stated during the verdict on Monday, as reported by 3News. “This was murder.” She continued, “She had a mission, and she executed it with precision. The decision was death.”
Mackenzie Shirilla found guilty in deadly Strongsville crash
by u/Pr3tz3l in Cleveland
Today Mackenzie Shirilla, 19, was found guilty by a Judge on all charges including Murder, Aggravated Vehicular Homicide, Felonious Assault, and other charges for the July 2022 Strongsville car crash that killed two men, 19 and 20. pic.twitter.com/gorTzoIkqo
— ProsMikeOMalley (@ProsMikeOMalley) August 14, 2023
According to Strongsville Police, on July 31, 2022, Shirilla was driving a 2018 Toyota Camry with Russo in the front seat and Flanagan in the back seat. Before the crash, the three had reportedly been smoking marijuana at a friend’s home. Mackenzie Shirilla allegedly had THC levels in her system exceeding the legal limit in Ohio, as noted by Cleveland.com. However, she was charged with murder, not driving under the influence.
“Literal Hell on Wheels”
Surveillance video presented by prosecutors in court showed Shirilla driving at a normal speed on Progress Drive in the Progress Drive Business Park. As she turned onto Alameda Drive, she accelerated and abruptly jerked the wheel to the right and left before slamming into a brick building at 100 mph. The impact left Shirilla and her passengers trapped in the mangled car wreckage, with Shirilla’s fuzzy Prada slipper stuck to the gas pedal.
Prosecution claims pre meditated murder
“The intent was obvious upon seeing that video that there was only one goal, and the computer demonstrated that there was no attempt to slow down or stop — that it was full speed into a building and tragically it cost two people their lives,” Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley said after the verdict, as reported by 3News.
Prosecutors argued that Mackenzie Shirilla wanted to end her turbulent relationship with Russo. “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 stated.
Russo and Flanagan were pronounced dead at the scene, while Shirilla was found unconscious and not breathing inside the car.
Defense and appeals
Shirilla’s attorney, James McDonnell, argued in court that the prosecution had not proved that she intentionally crashed the car and suggested that she could have lost control of the vehicle. “It’s not clear, it’s not explicit to draw the inference that she acted purposely,” McDonnell told the judge, as reported by Fox 8.
Mackenzie Shirilla’s mother has stated that her daughter plans to appeal the conviction. GoFundMe accounts have been established in memory of Flanagan and Russo following their tragic deaths.
The conviction carries an automatic sentence of life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 15 years, according to Cleveland.com. Shirilla sobbed uncontrollably as the verdict was delivered.
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