An Ohio teen faces life imprisonment after being found guilty of two deaths caused by her intentionally driving into a brick building at 100 mph.
Mackenzie Shirilla was convicted of causing the deaths of her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, and his friend, Davion Flanagan, according to an NBC News report.
The father of one victim, Frank Russo, reportedly does not believe Shirilla should spend the rest of her life in prison for the crash.
“It’s horrible for everybody,” declared Russo. “Yeah, I lost my son, it’s harder on our family, but I don’t want the rest of her life ruined too. It isn’t going to make me feel any better,” he told NBC News Friday.
“The whole thing’s just a shame.”
His son and their friend lost their lives July 31, 2022, after Shirilla hit a Strongsville, Ohio, building around 5:30 a.m., according to the report.
Both passengers were declared dead at the scene while Shirilla survived.
Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Nancy Margaret Russo declared the teenage guilty on 12 counts, including four counts of murder, after a four-day bench trial.
“This was not reckless driving,” declared Judge Russo while announcing her verdict. “This was murder.”
She could receive life imprisonment with a possibility of parole after 32 years, according to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office.
Frank Russo remembered his son as a motivated individual with aspirations for a successful life.
“He was opening up his own clothing line, he was not average kid,” the father said. “I’ll tell you that.”
Despite the immense pain of losing his son, Russo said he hopes Shirilla receives help and rehabilitation.
“She’s just a little kid,” Russo commisserated. “She f—ed up.”
“She did a damn stupid thing but now her parents are destroyed, her family’s destroyed too,” he added. “I wish there was a way she could get some kind of help, some kind of treatment.”
Christina Russo, Dominic’s eldest sister, described the trial as emotionally taxing for the family.
“Justice was served,” Ms. Russo said, “when you do something intentionally you have to pay for your actions.”
She added it is even more terrible that her brother’s death is now in stone and grieves because she feels his life was taken intentionally.
Jaime Flanagan, Davion’s mother, commented after the verdict,
“There’s not a day that goes by that we don’t miss our son, and justice was served for him today,” Flanagan said. “But honestly there’s no winners here. There’s no winners here today.”
Davion’s father, Scott Flanagan, emphasized the desire for justice over vengeance,
“We do not seek vengeance, only justice for our son who was nothing more that an innocent passenger looking for a ride home,” he said in a post to his Facebook.
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