An Ohio teenager has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for killing her boyfriend and one of his friends by deliberately speeding her car to 100mph resulting in a fatal crash. Mackenzie Shirilla, 19, cried as she learned of her sentence on Monday for the killing of her boyfriend Dominic Russo, 20, and his 19-year-old friend Davion Flanagan in July of 2022.
Shirilla was charged with murder, aggravated vehicular homicide, and felonious assault in November of last year despite claiming the collision was an accident. Prosecutors said that she was on a "mission of death" that she saw as her way out of the toxic relationship with her boyfriend.
Justice Served
Prosecutors also said that Shirilla had mapped out the route a week before killing Russo and his friend, who was considered "cargo."
On Monday, Judge Nancy Margaret Russo said that the key piece of evidence implicating Shirilla was the "chilling and tragic" surveillance video. This footage shows her accelerating her Toyota Camry with the intention to collide with the wall of a commercial building.
"This is the type of evidence you can never unsee," said Russo.
"She had a mission, and she executed it with precision. The mission was death."
Russo said that Shirilla, who was 17 at that time, was a "literal hell on wheels."
Last week, following a four-day trial without a jury, Shirilla was found guilty. Russo mentioned that the two people in the vehicle had experienced extreme fear as she drove them toward their fatal end.
"There can be no doubt as to the absolute terror of the two people in that car," she said.
"This was not reckless driving. This was murder."
Too Late to Repent
Shirilla's legal representatives argued that the collision had taken place accidentally. Shirilla addressed the court before the sentence was announced despite not taking the stand.
"The families of Dominic and Davion, I'm so deeply sorry. I hope one day you can see I would never let this happen or do it on purpose. I wish I could remember what happened,' she said crying.
"We were all friends, and Dom was my soul mate," she said.
"I wish I could take all your pain away. And to my family, thank you for the support and all the love you guys give. I love you all so much."
Shirilla, along with the two victims, had consumed marijuana before the crash. Her family plans to contest the judgment through an appeal.
In a TikTok video, she gazes at the camera and asserts, " I'm just one of those girls that can do a lot of drugs and not die."
After the fatal crash, Shirilla looked up modeling opportunities in Los Angeles while recovering in the hospital.
Upon her release, she attended a music concert while using a wheelchair and appeared in a Halloween-themed TikTok video where she danced with friends dressed as what seems to be a lifeless body.
As she was taken into custody with handcuffs, a family member cried out, saying, "We love you, Kenz." Another voice could be heard shouting, "You're innocent."
Before Shirilla received her sentence, family members of the two victims spoke before the court.
"Mackenzie, going to prison because you did this, be thankful you're still alive and have a future, whatever that may be," Dominic's mother, Christine Russo told her.
"Dom and Davion were robbed of their futures, their hopes and their dreams. Mackenzie showed no mercy on Dominic nor did she on Davion, only God at this time can have mercy on her soul," she added.
The mother of Davion Flanagan said that her family has been devastated by his death.
"I feel stuck, I feel like I can't move forward. I feel lost. I would like you to give Mackenzie the longest possible sentence. I've known her for about three years and she's always taking the easy way out," his sister, Davyne Flanagan said.
