A woman whose Cuyahoga County trial became the subject of a popular Netflix documentary will not have an appeal reviewed by Ohio’s top court.
MacKenzie Shirilla, now 21, filed an appeal with the Ohio Supreme Court, asking for review.
The state’s highest court denied her appeal on June 23 without explanation, which is not unusual for the court. Justice Pat DeWine dissented from the court’s decision not to take the case, again without explanation.
Shirilla had filed an initial motion for postconviction relief after the Eighth District Court of Appeals denied her first appeal of her conviction.
That motion was filed 366 days after the trial transcript’s filing. The appellate court denied Shirilla’s motion request because it was one day past the filing deadline. Shirilla then asked the Supreme Court to look at her motion, arguing that because transcripts from a juvenile court hearing were not filed until several months after the trial transcripts, Shirilla should have additional time to file her motion.
What happened in Mackenzie Shirilla’s case?
Shirilla was behind the wheel of a car on July 31, 2022, in the Strongsville area near Cleveland that crashed into a building at about 100 mph. Dominic Russo, 20, who was Shirilla’s boyfriend, and Davion Flanagan, 19, a mutual friend, died in the crash. Shirilla was seriously hurt but survived.
In 2023, a Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge found Shirilla guilty of murder and other charges in connection with the crash and sentenced her to life in prison without the option of parole for at least 15 years.
Shirilla has argued she suffered from a medical condition that resulted in the crash.
Shirilla’s case was highlighted in “The Crash,” a documentary released in May on Netflix. The documentary received significant attention and viewership. Following its release, Shirilla’s father lost his job as a teacher based on comments he made.
Reporter Bethany Bruner can be reached at bbruner@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Supreme Court denies MacKenzie Shirilla’s appeal after Netflix doc
Reporting by Bethany Bruner, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Bethany Bruner, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
