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A teenager convicted of killing two people after a judge found she intentionally slammed her car into a commercial building at 100 mph in northeastern Ohio was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison on Monday.
Following a bench trial last week, a Cuyahoga County judge found 19-year-old Mackenzie Shirilla guilty of multiple charges including two counts of murder in the July 31, 2022 single-vehicle crash in the Cleveland suburb of Strongsville.
The early morning wreck killed her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, 20, and 19-year-old Davion Flanagan, the Strongsville Police Department said.
Common Pleas Court Judge Nancy Margaret Russo also found Shirilla guilty of other charges including aggravated vehicular homicide and drug possession.
Regarding Shirilla’s two counts of murder, the judge spared the teen consecutive potential life sentences in both men’s deaths, court spokesperson Deena Lucci told USA TODAY. The judge told Shirilla she would likely remain in prison for at least 15 years − the minimum time allowed served until she is eligible to go before a parole board.
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‘A tumultuous relatoinship’
During the trial, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Tim Troup argued Shirilla had “a tumultuous relationship” with Russo and planned to end the lives of her passengers, Lucci said.
Shirilla’s lawyer, James McDonnell, could not immediately be reached by USA TODAY.
But at trial, The Associated Press reported, McDonnell argued the state had no proof his client deliberately meant to kill the men and that no one knew what was going on inside the Toyota Camry his client drove in the seconds leading up to the wreck.
Russo disagreed.
“Her actions were controlled, methodical, deliberate, intentional and purposeful,” the judge said. “This was murder.”
Shirilla did not testify at trial, officials said, and cried during her sentencing hearing as she read a statement.
“I hope one day you can see I would never let this happen or do it on purpose,” Shrilla’s statement read, according to the AP. “I wish I could remember what happened. I’m just so sorry. I’m heartbroken I wish I could take all your pain away.”
Following her Aug. 14 conviction, Shirilla was immediately taken to jail a court spokesperson told USA TODAY and was slated to be transferred to the Ohio Department of Corrections.
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‘A brick wall’
The wreck took place about 5:30 a.m. after prosecutors and police said Shirilla − 17 at the time − intentionally slammed her Camry into the brick wall of a commercial building.
The area where the wreck took place is about 20 mile southwest of downtown Cleveland.
The judge said final seconds of video recorded of the crash from a nearby business was “key to her verdict, Cleveland.com reported,
“She morphs from responsible driver to literal hell on wheels,” Russo said from the bench after the trial ended.
Prosecutors said those moments were also why prosecutors chose to try Shirilla as an adult.
“When you drive for four or five seconds with the pedal all the way down until you hit 100 mph into a building, we felt the charge was appropriate,” Cuyahoga County District Attorney Michael O’Malley said.
Contributing: Associated Press
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @nataliealund
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