RTM previously reported that Mackenzie Shirilla, a 19-year-old from Strongsville, Ohio, was convicted of four counts of murder for the fatal crash that occurred in July 2022.
Cleveland.com reported that among the dead were her boyfriend 20-year-old Dominic Russo and 19-year-old Davion Flanagan.
Judge Nancy Margaret Russo of the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, sentenced Shirilla to life, saying: “This was not reckless driving. This was murder.”
Russo asserted that Shirilla “had a mission, and she executed it with precision. The decision was death.”
Shirilla was visibly distraught in court, breaking down in tears as the verdict was announced. The teen was sentenced to an automatic sentence of life in prison on four counts of murder, four counts of felonious assault, and two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide.
On Thursday, Shirilla’s mother Nathalie noted that Mackenzie had been diagnosed with a disorder that causes her to pass out if her sodium and hydration levels are too low, according to Cleveland.com.
The Daily Mail reported that Nathalie said the condition — postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome — “could be” to blame for the crash.
Others point to Mackenzie’s TikTok posts noting her involvement with drugs as a contributing factor in the incident.
Security footage played a crucial role in the trial, capturing Shirilla’s Toyota Camry accelerating to 100 mph just moments before the fatal crash.
The judge remarked on the footage, saying, “She morphs from a responsible driver to literal hell on wheels as she makes her way down the street.”
Nathalie shared that she “completely disagrees” with Russo’s assertion that her daughter was a “literal hell on wheels,” and said she hopes her daughter’s attorney James McDonnell files an appeal.
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