Ohio Supreme Court declines to hear appeal for Strongsville woman convicted in double murder of boyfriend, friend

STRONGSVILLE, Ohio (WOIO) - In a Tuesday decision, the Ohio Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal for the Strongsville woman convicted in the double murder of her boyfriend and friend in 2022.

Mackenzie Shirilla was found guilty of the murders of her boyfriend Dominic Russo, and friend Davion Flanagan in 2023.

Shirilla appealed her case in September 2024, but the conviction was upheld.

In February, Shirilla’s legal team filed for appeal in the Ohio Supreme Court, and on Tuesday, it declined to hear the case.

According to police, on July 31, 2022, Shirilla, 17 at the time, lost control of her Toyota Camry and crashed into a building in the 11700 block of Alameda Dr.

A passer-by called police, and when officers arrived at the scene, they found all three victims unconscious, not breathing, and trapped in the vehicle.

In 2023, Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Judge Margaret Russo found Mackenzie Shirilla guilty of the following crimes:

• Four counts of murder
• Four counts of felonious assault
• Two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide
• One count of drug possession
• One count of possessing criminal tools

Shirilla was sentenced to life in prison with eligibility for parole after 15 years served.

Prosecutors introduced video of the crash during the bench trial, which started Aug. 7, 2023, and Judge Russo commented on as she delivered the verdict.

“She morphs from a responsible driver to literal hell on wheels as she makes her way down the street,” Judge Russo said in reference to the crash video. “She had a mission and she executed it with precision.”

In January, police released the bodycam video from the arrest of Shirilla.