Mackenzie Shirilla Suffers Major Setback After Netflix’s ‘The Crash’ Revives Her Case
Mackenzie Shirilla has hit another major roadblock in her fight to overturn her double murder conviction.
The Ohio Supreme Court rejected Shirilla's final attempt to appeal her 2023 conviction Tuesday, Sept. 1, after the court had already declined to hear her case in June.
Chief Justice Sharon L. Kennedy denied Shirilla's motion for reconsideration, according to Fox 8.
“It is ordered by the court that the motion for reconsideration in this case is denied,” Kennedy wrote.
Mackenzie Shirilla Has Maintained Her Innocence
Shirilla, now 21, was convicted of murdering her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, and his classmate, Davion Flanagan, in a July 2022 car crash in Strongsville, Ohio.
The case recently drew renewed attention following Netflix's true-crime documentary The Crash, which examined the deadly incident and the questions surrounding whether Shirilla intentionally drove into a brick building.
READ MORE: Netflix’s ‘The Crash’ Left Out a Chilling Detail That Could Change How You See It
Prosecutors argued Shirilla intentionally drove her Toyota Camry into a brick building at roughly 100 mph. Investigators found she never hit the brakes before impact.
Shirilla has always maintained her innocence. Her current attorneys argued that a medical condition known as POTS may have caused her to black out behind the wheel and that her original lawyers failed to properly investigate that defense.
Her 2024 appeal was also complicated by a filing deadline issue after it was submitted one day late. Her lawyers blamed a calendar mix-up because 2024 was a leap year.
Shirilla's Legal Fight Isn't Over
While the Ohio Supreme Court ruling ends her state-level appeals, Shirilla's attorneys have already taken the case to federal court.
In July, her lawyers filed a writ of habeas corpus arguing that her rights were violated during her original trial because key evidence supporting her defense was excluded.
READ MORE: Lindsie Chrisley Arrested on DUI Charges — But She Claims There’s More to the Story
Shirilla remains behind bars at the Ohio Reformatory for Women, serving two concurrent sentences of 15 years to life. She will be eligible for parole in 2037.
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Gallery Credit: Natasha Reda
