Mackenzie Shirilla, 19, of Strongsville, Ohio, was convicted of murder after plowing her car into a brick building, killing two others, including her estranged boyfriend. Shirilla insisted the crash was an accident, but the evidence proved that she crashed her car on purpose.
“This was not reckless driving. This was murder,” Cuyahoga County Judge Nancy Margaret Russo told the court Monday as Shirilla wept.
Shirilla, who was 17 at the time of the crime, was in a relationship with Dominic Russo, 20, but that wasn’t working out. Davion Flanagan, 19, was also in the car and died as well.
Mackenzie Shirilla found guilty in deadly Strongsville crash https://t.co/UNjGVlJTJX via @MailOnline
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The judge, who presided over the trial without a jury, relayed Shirilla’s plan to the court, stating that Shirilla scouted out a place where few people would be found in the early morning. She located a brick building in a desolate place for her crime.
“Mackenzie alone chose a time to make the drive early in the morning when any reasonable person would expect a few people would be nearby to witness it or offer life-saving assistance,” the judge revealed.
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Security camera shows Shirilla driving at a normal speed and then intentionally gunning her Toyota Camry to 100 mph and plowing into the brick building at roughly 5:30 a.m.
“She morphs from a responsible driver to literal hell on wheels as she makes her way down the street,” the judge declared.
Assistant Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Tim Troup revealed in his closing arguments that Shirilla planned the crash after a relationship, which only lasted months, had ended. Police believe Shirilla planned to kill herself in the crash as well. Russo’s friend Flanagan was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“He was friends with Dominic, and Davion was just cargo. He was just a suitcase in the backseat in the defendant’s mind,” Troup stated. “Whatever she had in for Dominic, [Flanagan] was just along with his friend and got sucked into a toxic relationship and just got in the wrong seat that night.”
A passerby found the severely damaged car roughly 45 minutes after the crash. Russo and Flanagan were declared dead at the scene. Shirilla was still unconscious and not breathing. One of her fuzzy Prada slippers was still on the accelerator.
She had to undergo several surgeries after the crash. All three had smoked marijuana before the crash. Shirilla also had psilocybin “magic” mushrooms and a scale in her pocket.
Shirilla was charged with murder, aggravated vehicular homicide, and felonious assault. She claimed the crash was accidental, but her car’s computer revealed she floored the gas pedal for four seconds before the crash and the brake was never applied.
The guilty verdict means that she will be in prison for 15 years before being eligible for parole.
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