Mackenzie Shirilla, a Strongsville, Ohio teenager, was convicted of intentionally crashing her car at nearly 100 mph, killing her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, and a friend. Her family maintains that the crash was an accident caused by an undiagnosed medical condition, but her appeals have been denied.
In the early morning of July 31, 2022, 17-year-old Mackenzie Shirilla drove her Toyota Camry into a large brick commercial building. 20-year-old boyfriend, Dominic Russo, and 19-year-old friend, Davion Flanagan were killed on impact. Data from the car’s event recorder showed that Shirilla floored the accelerator in the moments before the impact and never hit the brakes. Shirilla survived the crash but was seriously injured.
During a bench trial presided over by Cuyahoga County Judge Nancy Margaret Russo, the prosecution argued that Shirilla deliberately carried out a premeditated murder. Evidence showed Shirilla had been in a toxic relationship with Russo and had previously threatened to crash the car while arguing with him.The vehicle’s data showed that Shirilla accelerated to 100 mph before impact and did not brake, a fact the judge cited to indicate intent.There was security footage played in court that showed the car moving at normal speed, then suddenly accelerating right before the crash.
In August 2023, the judge convicted Shirilla on all 12 counts, including four counts of murder. “She had a mission, and she executed it with precision,” the judge stated. Mackenzie Shirilla and her family have consistently maintained that the crash was a tragic accident. Shirilla’s family claims she experienced a sudden medical event, possibly related to her Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), that caused her to lose consciousness. Mackenzie Shirilla was sentenced to two concurrent 15-year-to-life sentences for the murders, with eligibility for parole after 15 years.
Mackenzie Shirilla is serving her sentence in a women’s prison in Ohio. New jail calls have been released that are very shocking and I decided to get all the discovery, police cams and jail calls and do a Mommy Ramblings True Crime Deep Dive into this case.
Our YouTube Channel has many videos on the case of Makenzie Shirilla. Her jail calls while awaiting trial and immediately after she was found guilty and then sentenced were sent to me after a FOIA request I made. I have every phone call released in a series of videos. The first two volumes can be found below and the others will be posted here but can be found right now on our Youtube Channel. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.