Mackenzie Shirilla is a 19 12 months previous feminine from Auckland. She has simply been convicted of homicide, aggravated vehicular murder, and felonious assault following the dying of her boyfriend Dominic Russo and a good friend Davion Flanagan in 2022. Mackenzie deliberately drove a automotive right into a wall at 100mph, inflicting their deaths.
Aso some background into Mackenzie, her parents are Natalie and John Shirilla. I haven’t been capable of finding an excessive amount of about her family life.
Mackenzie had been seeing Dominic Russo for 3 -4 years on the time of the crash. Dominic was 20 in 2022, so Mackenzie would have been round 17. Their relationship was described as tumultuous. Mackenzie is claimed to have spent loads of time dwelling in Dominic’s household dwelling throughout their relationship.
Dominic’s mom spoke in court after his dying and mentioned that he and Mackenzie fought usually. Dominic’s brother Angelo advised the court that the pair have been very a lot on-again, off-again.
“I witnessed loads of destructive conduct from her to my brother, and that simply type of pushed away as a giant brother determine, as a result of she simply wasn’t honest to him,” Angelo Russo mentioned.
Christine Russo, Dominic’s older sister mentioned she didn’t see the fights within the couple’s relationship however heard some particulars from Dominic’s pals.
“From what I heard from his buddies and other people very shut of their age, not that they noticed [the crash] coming, but it surely wasn’t a shock to lots of people primarily based off her conduct and the way she was,” she mentioned.
“You’d by no means assume in 1,000,000 years, no person ever would have thought that this is able to occur,” she continued. “I feel all people says that when someone’s in a home violence scenario or if they’ve an abusive associate, you simply don’t see that from the skin; it occurs behind closed doorways.”
Two weeks earlier than the crash, on July 17, 2022, Mackenzie was driving on the Interstate and Dominic was within the automotive. They have been combating and Mackenzie threatened to crash their automobile.
Dominic known as his mom on the time and requested her to select him up.
One in all his pals ended up going to get him. The good friend was on the cellphone with Dominic when he heard Mackenzie say: “I’ll crash this automotive proper now.”
The good friend arrived to get Dominic and he discovered the automotive pulled over on the aspect of the highway. The passenger aspect door was open.
In response to court paperwork, the good friend noticed Mackenzie “putting Dominic with each of her fingers. Dominic then exited the automobile and left,” the submitting mentioned.
Throughout one other 2022 battle, Dominic recorded Mackenzie making threats.
Within the recording, Mackenzie might be heard “repeatedly degrading Dominic, threatening him, and damaging his property.”
Dominic wasn’t snug letting her inside his dwelling, the submitting mentioned, and he might be heard on the footage making an attempt to calm Mackenzie down.
Mackenzie began banging on the door to his dwelling and began demanding to be let inside. She was shouting and calling him “degrading and extremely inappropriate names.”
She threatened to key his automotive and break off the door deal with, verbally counted down a number of occasions to pressure him to let her in and mentioned, “You’re gonna come open this door proper now or there’s gonna be a critical f—ing drawback.”
Dominic stopped recording at that time and known as his mom for assist.
The day of the crash was July 31, 2022. Mackenzie, Dominic and their good friend Davion had allegedly all been smoking pot at a good friend’s dwelling. At round 5.30am, the trio bought into Mackenzie’s 2018 Toyota Camry. Dominic and Mackenzie have been within the entrance, with Mackenzie driving. Davion was within the again seat.
What occurred in the course of the experience is unclear, however there may be CCTV of Mackenzie driving the automobile and accelerating to 100mph earlier than crashing the automotive right into a brick wall.
A passerby got here throughout the wreck 45 minutes after it occurred. Dominic and Davion have been lifeless and Mackenzie was unconscious within the driver’s seat, nonetheless sporting her fuzzy Prada slippers. Magic mushrooms have been discovered on the scene of the wreck.
Mackenzie was taken to hospital and handled for her accidents. It was later revealed in court that whereas she was in hospital, she looked for modelling jobs in LA from her hospital mattress.
After Dominic’s obituary was posted on-line, Mackenzie made a bunch of feedback and posted photographs on it.
In a put up on Aug. 24, 2022, she shared a photograph of the couple at Common Studios, with the caption: “I miss you nug. I nonetheless really feel like your simply going to stroll within the door any second. I miss your giggle your good smile.”
“God u are the final particular person to deserve this you had such an ideal life forward of you … I want I advised you all this extra. Please look ahead to me.”
All through August she posted a number of photos of the 2 collectively, together with promenade photographs.
It took awhile for Mackenzie to be arrested. She appeared to go on dwelling her life, partying and posting on social media.
A tiktok she made, bragging about taking drugs was made public.
“I’m not cool, I’m simply a type of ladies that may do loads of drugs and never die,” Mackenzie mentioned in a Tiktok video.
She was additionally featured on social media celebrating Halloween. It seems in some photographs that she dressed up as a corpse and she or he additionally dressed up as marijuana.
In November 2022, Mackenzie was arrested and charged with homicide, aggravated vehicular murder, and felonious assault.
Her trial began in August 2023 and it ran for 4 days.
In the course of the trial, a licensed forensic mechanic testified that her automotive’s occasion information recorder confirmed that moments earlier than the crash, the accelerator pedal was being pushed down at full capability with no utility of the brake, WKYC reported.
Mackenzie’s group and her parents gave the story that Mackenzie had misplaced management of the automobile as a result of a medical situation.
Mackenzie’s mom Nathalie testified that Mackenzie suffers from postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, a situation that causes dizziness.
The situation, generally abbreviated POTS, is one among a gaggle of situations that reduces the quantity of blood that reaches the guts after a person stands up.
The commonest symptom is light-headedness or dizziness.
When requested if that might have induced the crash, her mom mentioned: ‘It could possibly be.’
Mackenzie’s aunt additionally testified in her defense.
She refuted the claims that we spoke about earlier that have been made by Dominic’s household that the connection was turbulent. She advised the court that Dominic and Mackenzie have been very a lot in love.
Prosecutors mentioned she was on a ‘mission of dying’ that she noticed as her manner out of their poisonous relationship and that she’d scouted out the route per week earlier than she killed him and his good friend, who was ‘cargo’.
Cuyahoga County Frequent Pleas Decide Nancy Margaret Russo didn’t consider any of the Shirilla’s tales. She mentioned Mackenzie was “literal hell on wheels.”
“Her actions have been managed, methodical, deliberate, intentional and purposeful. This was not reckless driving. This was homicide,” Decide Russo mentioned.
“The video clearly exhibits the aim and intent of the defendant: She selected a path of dying and destruction that day,” she added.
She mentioned Mackenzie drove on goal round 5:30 a.m. — an hour when not many witnesses could be round, alongside a path she didn’t routinely use however had visited just a few days earlier than.
“She had a mission, and she or he executed it with precision. The mission was dying,” Decide Russo mentioned.
‘There might be little question as to absolutely the terror of the 2 individuals in that automotive,’ she mentioned.
‘This was not reckless driving. This was homicide.’
Mackenzie was convicted on 12 costs, together with 4 counts of homicide, 4 counts of felonious assault and two counts of aggravated vehicular murder. These costs carry an computerized sentence of life in jail with no alternative for parole for 15 years.
The households concerned spoke earlier than Mackenzie was sentenced.
Dominic’s mom, Christine Russo, advised her: ‘Mackenzie, going to jail since you did this, be grateful you’re nonetheless alive and have a future, no matter that could be.
‘Dom and Davion have been robbed of their futures, their hopes and their goals.
‘Mackenzie confirmed no mercy on Dominic nor did she on Davion, solely God presently can have mercy on her soul.’
Davion Flangan’s mom mentioned his dying has left their household devastated.
His sister, Davyne Flanagan, mentioned: ‘I really feel caught, I really feel like I can’t transfer ahead. I really feel misplaced.
‘I would love you to provide Mackenzie the longest attainable sentence. I’ve recognized her for about three years and she or he’s all the time taking the straightforward manner out.’
Mackenzie’s mom begged for leniency in court. Addressing the households, she mentioned, “I’m damaged, unhappy and misplaced and my coronary heart hurts for everybody. Davion was her new good friend and Dom was the love of her life and he was a part of our household.” The 19-year-old could possibly be seen crying within the background as her mom spoke.
Natalie advised Decide Russo, “This was a horrible, tragic, nightmare accident,” including that her daughter “has no reminiscence of the accident.”
“She is going to by no means emotionally or bodily recuperate from it. She nearly died too.”
This data about Natalie’s speech in court is from the Impartial:
Ms Shirilla started crying when she recounted the occasions of the day, saying that she bought a cellphone name saying there had been an accident however didn’t know who was within the automotive; she known as Shirilla’s boyfriend a number of occasions however bought no response. Ms Shirilla then known as Dominic’s mom, who additionally didn’t choose up, making Ms Shirilla nervous that she was additionally within the automotive.
“My son is lifeless,” Dominic’s mom advised Ms Shirilla, she recalled.
“We beloved him a lot,” Ms Shirilla repeatedly mentioned about Dominic. She then mentioned that after the accident, individuals on-line have been calling Shirilla a assassin and “making dying threats”. She made calls to attempt to take down the feedback, since her daughter’s cellphone was within the custody of police: “She would by no means ever ever homicide the love of her life.”
“For 3 months after the accident, she would solely put on his garments. She would solely eat the snacks he ate. She would solely hearken to the music he wrote,” Ms Shirilla mentioned, speaking about how she laid in her mattress for 3 months with a “shrine” of Dominic subsequent to her.
Ms Shirilla mentioned she and her husband inspired their daughter to expertise a “second of enjoyable” when Halloween got here round after “shedding her complete world.” She went to a live performance with Dominc’s cousin and others.
“I’m listening to an terrible lot about your daughter. I’m not listening to very a lot concerning the two lifeless individuals,” Decide Russo mentioned when Ms Shirilla paused.
“I’m asking you for leniency as a result of this was a tragic accident that she doesn’t keep in mind,” Ms Shirilla pleaded, together with her fingers in a prayer place.
“Davion – he’s a brand new good friend…” Ms Shirilla began saying earlier than the decide interjected: “What does that imply? That his life is nugatory?”
“God no,” Shirilla’s mom protested. “All of them spent day-after-day collectively.”
“However isn’t that a part of the issue, Ms Shirilla?” the decide requested, persevering with: “That all of them trusted one another? It’s an issue how all of them ended up in a automotive collectively and two of them ended up lifeless.”
“I perceive what it appears to be like like. I’m saying that it’s a tragic accident – she would by no means,” Ms Shirilla mentioned.
The decide replied, “We’re going to should disagree on that.”
Natalie requested the decide for non consecutive sentences.
Mackenzie didn’t converse in the course of the trial however did converse earlier than she was sentenced.
‘The households of Dominic and Davion, I’m so deeply sorry. I hope sooner or later you possibly can see I might by no means let this occur or do it on goal. I want I may keep in mind what occurred,’ she mentioned crying.
‘We have been all pals, and Dom was my soul mate,’ she mentioned.
‘I want I may take all of your ache away. And to my household, thanks for the assist and all of the love you guys give. I really like you all a lot.’
The decide sentenced Mackenzie to 2 concurrent 15 years-to-life sentences. “I perceive that the ache on this room needs me to impose the harshest sentence, however I don’t consider that will be the suitable sentence,” mentioned Frequent Pleas Court Decide Nancy Margaret Russo.
“As a result of I do consider that Mackenzie received’t be out in 15 years.”
The decide spoke out about how Mackenzie believed shedding her license could be punishment sufficient.
“In the course of the investigation, she requested if they may simply droop her license for 10 years,” she mentioned.
“It’s laborious to fathom how an individual could possibly be involved about their driving privileges having simply been accountable for the deaths of two individuals.”
Tim Troup of the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Workplace spoke to the media after the decision. “We put loads of that kind of proof in entrance of the decide,” “There isn’t a doubt that this occurred due to the connection with Dominic, and the defendant’s intent was clearly to finish that, and she or he took all people that was within the automotive together with her.”
SOURCE LIST –
https://www.sportskeeda.com/pop-culture/what-mackenzie-shirilla-do-verdict-charges-explored-19-year-old-convicted-fatal-100-mph-crash
https://www.nbcnews.com/information/us-news/teen-murdered-boyfriend-100-mph-crash-toxic-relationship-prosecutors-s-rcna100636
https://www.fb.com/mackenzie.shirilla.3?mibextid=ZbWKwL
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/information/article-12416779/Mackenzie-Shirillas-mother-tried-blame-crash-killed-two-DIZZY-despite-cops-finding-magic-mushrooms-weed-scene-previous-threats-against-boyfriend.html
https://www.fb.com/mackenzie.shirilla?mibextid=ZbWKwL
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