Cleveland, OH – In a gripping courtroom scene, Mackenzie Shirilla, aged 19, received a 15-year to life prison sentence for the murder of her boyfriend, 20-year-old Dominic Russo, and his friend, 19-year-old Davion Flanagan. The sentencing, delivered by Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Nancy Margaret Russo on August 21, 2023, marks the conclusion of a case that has captured public attention due to its tragic and violent nature.
The crash, which occurred on July 31, 2022, in Strongsville, a suburb of Cleveland, involved Shirilla deliberately crashing her Toyota Camry into a brick building at speeds approaching 100 mph. The impact of the crash resulted in the immediate deaths of Russo and Flanagan, with Shirilla found unconscious and severely injured at the scene.
In an emotional statement during her sentencing, Shirilla expressed remorse and heartbreak over the incident, claiming her love for both Russo and Flanagan and stating her wish to remember the events leading to the tragedy. Despite these expressions of regret, the judge, Nancy Margaret Russo, described the act as premeditated, noting Shirilla’s calculated actions leading up to the crash.