Ohio — The Ohio Supreme Court has declined to hear Mackenzie Shirilla’s latest appeal seeking a new trial, leaving in place her convictions and prison sentence for the 2022 crash that killed her boyfriend and one of his friends.

In a brief ruling issued Tuesday, the state’s highest court announced that it would not accept jurisdiction over the appeal.

“Upon consideration of the jurisdictional memoranda filed in this case, the court declines to accept jurisdiction of the appeal,” the order stated.
The decision marks another legal setback for Shirilla, who is serving a sentence of 15 years to life after being convicted in 2023 of two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide and four counts of felonious ᴀssault.

The case stems from a July 2022 crash in Strongsville, Ohio, when Shirilla, then 17 years old, drove her vehicle into a building at approximately 100 mph.

The crash killed her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, 20, and their friend, Davion Flanagan, 19. Shirilla survived the collision.

During her 2023 bench trial, the presiding judge concluded that the crash was intentional. While announcing the verdict, Cuyahoga County Judge Nancy Margaret Russo described Shirilla as “literal hell on wheels,” a phrase that has since become closely ᴀssociated with the case.

Shirilla has consistently challenged her conviction through the appeals process.

In her latest filing, defense attorneys argued that she suffers from a pre-existing medical condition that may have caused her to lose consciousness before the crash. They further contended that her original legal team failed to adequately investigate the condition or present expert medical testimony during trial.

The Ohio Supreme Court’s decision follows a series of earlier rulings rejecting similar arguments.

In October 2024, Shirilla’s attorneys filed a peтιтion for a new trial. However, the filing was submitted one day after the ᴅᴇᴀᴅline established under Ohio law.

In May 2025, Judge Russo ruled that the peтιтion was procedurally invalid because it was untimely. The Eighth District Court of Appeals later upheld that decision, leaving the convictions intact.

Shirilla is currently incarcerated at the Ohio Reformatory for Women.

Her case received national attention and was later featured in the Netflix documentary “The Crash.”

With the Ohio Supreme Court declining to hear her appeal, Shirilla’s convictions remain in effect. According to court records, she will become eligible for parole in October 2037, although parole is not guaranteed.

Source: Page Six