Teen guilty of intentionally killing boyfriend, friend faces sentencing

Posted at 10:19 AM, August 21, 2023

(Court TV/Scripps News Cleveland) — An Ohio teen faces sentencing Monday for the deaths of her boyfriend and friend.

Last week, 19-year-old Mackenzie Shirilla was found guilty of all charges in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas for the fatal July 2022 crash.

She had been charged with four counts of murder and felonious assault, two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, drug possession, and possessing criminal tools, according to court records.

Watch: Mackenzie Shirilla Faces Sentencing

The crash happened on July 31, 2022. The occupants, Shirilla, 19-year-old Davion Flanagan, and 20-year-old Dominic Russo had to be extricated from the vehicle. Shirilla was flown to Cleveland for treatment, while Flanagan and Russo were pronounced dead at the scene.

Court records show that Shrilla “did purposely cause the death” of the two teens by crashing the vehicle she was driving. She was reportedly driving 100 mph when she purposely crashed the vehicle into a brick wall, reported USA Today.

Judge Nancy Margaret Russo said, “Her actions were controlled, methodical, deliberate, intentional and purposeful. This was not reckless driving. This was murder.”

Shirilla faced a bench trial, meaning a judge decided her fate instead of a jury.

Scripps News Cleveland contributed to this report, an E.W. Scripps Company.