Mackenzie Shirilla’s texts surface as ‘hell on wheels’ driver’s appeal collides with Netflix’s ‘The Crash’
Newly released jailhouse calls and text messages shed new light on the case of Mackenzie Shirilla, the Ohio woman nicknamed “hell on wheels” whose murder conviction has been revived thanks to Netflix’s “The Crash.”
Shirilla, now 21, was sentenced to two concurrent life sentences for the murders of 20-year-old Dominic Russo and 19-year-old Davion Flanagan after prosecutors said he intentionally crashed his Toyota Camry into a brick building in Strongsville, Ohio, on July 31, 2022. Prosecutors said at the hearing that Shirilla crashed into the building finish it Toxic relationship with Russoand Flanagan just happened to be there, too.
Records released and reported by the Strongsville Police Department by Fox 8It comes as Shirilla recently asked the Ohio Supreme Court to review her case for appeal.
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Mackenzie Shirilla crashed her car into a wall on July 31, 2022, killing Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan.
(Fox News)
Shirilla’s case came to the fore again after Netflix’s new series “The Crash”.
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Since the documentary aired on May 15, police have released text messages between Shirilla and her boyfriend, Russo, as well as calls from the jail and body camera footage from the day of the accident, Fox 8 reported.
Texts reviewed by local media reveal that Shirilla complained to Russo about power outages years before the crash, and again several weeks before the crash; this includes a message dated July 2, 2022, in which he called the “worst power outage.”
Shirilla’s lawyers argued that medical evidence could support her claim. had fainted before The crash that killed Russo and Flanagan on July 31, 2022.
But other messages painted a darker picture of the couple’s relationship. Shirilla reportedly texted: “THIS IS WHY I WANT IJ F—ING KMS [kill myself]” and “I’m going to kill someone.”
In another message, he told Russo to “be a little nicer to the girl who would die for you,” according to Fox 8.
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In March 2022, Russo allegedly texted that Shirilla “hit me” and “tried to throw rocks at me.”
In addition to the new text messages, her father, Steve Shirilla, was also placed on administrative leave from his job at a Catholic school for participating in the documentary. Woio-TV.
According to the press, Mary Queen of Peace School sent a letter to parents stating that it was investigating allegations that a teacher at the school showed “poor judgment.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Mary Queen of Peace School for comment.
The messages resurfaced when Shirilla’s attorneys asked the Ohio Supreme Court to review whether Shirilla’s post-conviction arguments should be heard after a lower court ruled his petition was filed a day too late.
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In a filing reviewed by Fox News Digital in the Ohio Supreme Court, Shirilla’s attorneys argue that trial attorneys did not adequately investigate evidence that he suffered from Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, or POTS. The syndrome they say may have caused him to lose consciousness before the accident.
Although the defense claimed that Shirilla and her family had notified their lawyers about this, the situation was only “repeatedly referenced” at the hearing, he said. His attorneys now argue that trial counsel should dig deeper and obtain expert testimony to explain whether POTS could explain Shirilla’s failure to brake before the crash.
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Cuyahoga County District Attorney Michael O’Malley said “there is no doubt that Mackenzie Shirilla guilty of murder,” his office said in a May 27 statement.
“We are confident that any court reviewing this case would reach the same conclusion.”
Cuyahoga County Judge Nancy Margaret Russo said Shirilla was on a “mission” before issuing her decision in 2023.
As Shirilla cried in court, the judge said, “This was not reckless driving. This was murder.” “He had a duty and he fulfilled it meticulously. The duty was death.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Shiirilla’s attorneys for comment.
Original article source: Mackenzie Shirilla’s messages emerge as appeal of ‘hell on wheels’ rider clashes with Netflix’s ‘The Crash’
