The Crash That Led to Controversial Trial: The Mackenzie Shirilla Case

Based on a statement posted on the department's Facebook page, law enforcement officers were dispatched to the junction of Progress Drive and Alameda Drive following a collision report at 6:15 a.m. Upon arrival, the police found a black Toyota Camry that had sustained significant damage, with all airbags deployed.

Inside the vehicle, three individuals were trapped: two adult males and one 17-year-old female. Unfortunately, they were discovered unconscious and without signs of breathing.

The Strongsville Fire and Emergency Medical Services teams promptly arrived at the location and successfully extricated the three individuals from the vehicle.

Law enforcement officials have reported that Davion Flanagan, 19, and Dominic Russo, 20, were pronounced deceased at the accident site. The 17-year-old girl, Mackenzie Shirilla, was transported to MetroHealth by Life Flight, and later made a full recovery.

Tragically, the victims of the crash were identified as 19-year-old Davion Flanagan, a recent graduate of Strongsville High School, and Dominic Russo, 20, who was Shirilla's boyfriend.

Shirilla is Charged

In November 2022, Shirilla was initially charged in Juvenile Court with intentionally causing the fatal accident. However, in March 2023, prosecutors decided to try her as an adult, accusing her of the alleged murder of Davion Flanagan and Dominic Russo.

During the opening statements, prosecutors presented their case to the judge, stating that the available evidence, including video footage of the crash, indicated that Shirilla intentionally accelerated the vehicle to a speed of 100 miles per hour and did not attempt to apply the brakes.

“It shows strikingly 100% acceleration through the entire final five seconds,” the prosecutor stated.

Shirilla's attorney, addressing the court, expressed their belief that the evidence points towards the high-speed crash being a tragic accident rather than an intentional act.

“The case is based on inference upon inference. It’s not clear, it’s not explicit to be able to draw the inference that she acted purposely,” said Attorney James McDonnell.

The Trial and Sentencing

who did not testify during trial, spoke before the court before the sentence was read.

'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.'

'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.

Before Shirilla was sentenced, relatives of the two victims addressed the court.

Dominic's mother, Christine Russo, told her: 'Mackenzie, going to prison because you did this, be thankful you're still alive and have a future, whatever that may be.

'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.'

Davion Flangan's mother said his death has left their family devastated.

His sister, Davyne Flanagan, said: '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.'

The judge said final seconds of video recorded of the crash from a nearby business was "key to her verdict,"

"She morphs from responsible driver to literal hell on wheels,"

“When you drive for four or five seconds with the pedal all the way down until you hit 100 mph into a building, we felt the charge was appropriate,” Cuyahoga County District Attorney Michael O’Malley said.

Shirilla was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.