Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
Mackenzie Shirilla is serving a life sentence in prison for murdering her boyfriend and his friend in a fatal car accident. In July 2022, Shirilla, then 17, intentionally crashed her car into the side of a building in Strongsville, Ohio. The incident killed her 20-year-old boyfriend, Dominic Russo, and his friend, Davion Flanagan, 19, who were present in the vehicle.
During her trial, prosecutors claimed Shirilla and Russo were in a toxic relationship. Additionally, before the accident, she had threatened to crash the car while driving with her boyfriend. Other evidence from the deadly crash proved that the teenager deliberately accelerated her Toyota Camry into the Plidco Building.
Reportedly, a judge found Mackenzie Shirilla guilty on 12 counts, which included four counts of murder, in August 2023. She later received a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 15 years.
Where is Mackenzie Shirilla now & does she have a parole date?
According to the Department of Corrections, Mackenzie Shirilla is now serving her sentence in the Ohio Reformatory for Women. Her parole eligibility date is October 21, 2037, and her next parole hearing will be in September 2037.
Shirilla caused an intentional, fatal car accident in the Cleveland suburb of Strongsville, Ohio, in the early morning hours of July 31, 2022. NBC News reported that the crash killed her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, and his friend Davion Flanagan. The two victims were passengers in her Toyota Camry and died at the scene.
The outlet stated that video evidence showed Mackenzie Shirilla accelerating her vehicle at the Progress and Alameda intersection in the Cleveland suburb of Strongsville. There, she intentionally crashed the car into a large brick building called the Plidco Building. The accident occurred at around 5:30 a.m. while the car was at a speed of 100mph. A few people reportedly witnessed the accident. Prosecutors later presented the security video footage during her four-day bench trial.
During Shirilla’s trial, a forensic mechanic testified about an examination of the vehicle. The expert stated that the accused’s vehicle consisted of an event data recorder that revealed details from moments before the fatal crash. The evidence proved that the teenager pushed the accelerator pedal at full capacity. Additionally, there were no signs that she stepped on the brake pedal that could have prevented the fatalities.
Per NBC News, prosecutors alleged that Mackenzie Shirilla had previously threatened to crash the car as she and her boyfriend drove on Interstate 71. The instance was from two weeks before the car accident. Shirilla and Dominic Russo were reportedly involved in a toxic relationship and had frequent arguments. During another instance in July 2022, Dominic Russo had recorded Shirilla threatening him during an altercation. The video showed the accused “repeatedly degrading Dominic, threatening him, and damaging his property.”
In August 2023, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Nancy Margaret Russo finally convicted Mackenzie Shirilla. The judge found Shirilla, who was 19 at the time, guilty of four counts of felonious assault and four counts of murder. Other charges included two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, one of drug possession, and one of possessing criminal tools.
Judge Nancy Margaret Russo called Shirilla “literal hell on wheels,” who “had a mission, and she executed it with precision. The mission was death.” Russo further said, “Her actions were controlled, methodical, deliberate, intentional and purposeful.” She stated that the defendant’s actions were “not reckless driving” but “murder.” The judge also cited the video evidence prosecutors presented in court which showed “the purpose and intent of the defendant: She chose a path of death and destruction that day.”
Reportedly, Mackenzie Shirilla and Dominic Russo had been together for three or four years at the time of the car accident. For the majority of their relationship, she lived in Russo’s house. Nonetheless, the duo fought frequently, their arguments included making threats against each other and breaking up.
The case against Mackenzie Shirilla has been featured in several true crime show episodes and podcasts.
