Mackenzie Shirilla, the Ohio teenager convicted of murdering two people in a deliberate car crash, has failed in two separate appeals against her conviction. The case, featured in Netflix's documentary 'The Crash', has drawn widespread attention since the film's release.
Shirilla was 17 when she drove a vehicle into a wall at 100mph, killing passengers Dominic Russo, 20, and Davion Flanagan, 19. Initially treated as a tragic accident, she was later charged with murder and convicted in a bench trial in August 2023. The judge handed down two concurrent sentences of 15 years to life, with parole eligibility.
Her first appeal, filed in September 2023, argued insufficient evidence and clerical errors. It was denied. A second appeal in October 2024 failed on a technicality: it was submitted one day late. Shirilla's legal team argued that 2024 being a leap year entitled them to an extra day, but the court rejected this, stating it lacked jurisdiction due to the late filing.
The Eighth District Court of Appeals upheld the rejection in March 2025, and the Supreme Court of Ohio declined to hear the case in May 2025. Shirilla's first parole hearing is not scheduled until 2037.
Her parents maintain her innocence and vow to continue fighting. In contrast, the families of the victims express frustration. Davion's father, Scott Flanagan, wrote on Facebook: 'It seriously never ends. How many chances does she get when our son and Dominic didn't get a single one?'
