Mackenzie Shirilla will spend at least 15 years in prison after Judge Nancy Margaret Russo found her guilty of murder and aggravated vehicular homicide. Judge Russo said a video of the seconds before the deadly crash proves Mackenzie intended to kill Davion Flanagan and Dominic Russo. “She chose a course of death and destruction that day,” Judge Russo said. “She morphed from a responsible driver to literal hell on wheels.”
Mackenzie Shirilla was born to Natalie S. and Steven J. Shirilla in Strongsville, Ohio
Natalie S. and Steven J. Shirilla welcomed Mackenzie Shirilla about a year after settling in Strongsville, Ohio.
Steven is a designer who graduated from Ohio University in 1990 with a BFA in Graphic Design. He worked as an art director at WUAB and WBNS TV 10 in Cleveland and Columbus, respectively, before securing a job as a marketing designer at WKYC-TV 3. Layoffs forced Steven’s departure from the media outlet. Per his LinkedIn page, he is an art teacher at Mary Queen of Peace School.
Natalie hit local news in April 2018 when she claimed that an Apple charger nearly started a fire at her home. She told WKYC that the charging cord started burning and emitting smoke minutes after she plugged her iPad in. “Awful. Horrible. That would have been a nightmare,” she told the outlet. “If I would have been asleep – that would’ve been it.”
Court records show Natalie and Steven filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy in May 2022, two months before Mackenzie’s fatal crash. The couple hasn’t spoken publicly about the case.
Stephanie Jessup, Natalie’s sister and Mackenzie’s aunt, started a GoFundMe page to support Mackenzie’s recovery a day after the crash. “Her injuries are extensive and will require long-term medical care. Mackenzie’s family will need to be there to support her in her healing. Funds will be used to cover medical expenses and assist the family as they adjust to this new and devastating situation,” the appeal reads.
After the guilty verdict, Mackenzie’s family members told her they loved her as sheriff’s deputies led the sobbing convict away. They are expected to attend her sentencing on 21st August 2021.
James McDonell, Mackenzie’s defense attorney, hopes to convince the judge not to sentence his client to life. McDonell argues that no one knows what happened inside Mackenzie’s car before the crash. “It’s not clear,” he told FOX 8, “it’s not explicit to draw inference that she acted purposely.”