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Mother of ‘hell on wheels’ teen who caused double murder crash pleaded with judge to spare her before life imprisonment
Mother of ‘hell on wheels’ teen who caused double murder crash pleaded with judge to spare her before life imprisonment
Before an Ohio teenager Mackenzie Shirilla was found guilty on multiple counts of murder for the “hell on wheels” crash that killed her boyfriend and friend in 2022, her mother pleaded before a judge for “leniency.” The 19-year-old was charged for a deliberate 100mph car wreck that left her boyfriend Dominic Russo, 20, and Davion Flanagan, 19, dead. Shirilla’s mother, Natalie Shirilla, pleaded before her daughter was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison. Addressing the families, she said, “I’m broken, sad and lost and my heart hurts for everyone. Davion was her new friend and Dom was the love of her life and he was part of our family.” The 19-year-old could be seen crying in the background as her mother spoke. To Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Nancy Margaret Russo, the mother said, “This was a terrible, tragic, nightmare accident,” adding that her daughter “has no memory of the accident.” “She will never emotionally or physically recover from it. She almost died too,” Ms Shirilla said as she asked the judge for nonconsecutive sentences. Ms Shirilla began crying when she recounted the events of the day, saying that she got a phone call saying there had been an accident but didn’t know who was in the car; she called Shirilla’s boyfriend multiple times but got no response. Ms Shirilla then called Dominic’s mother, who also didn’t pick up, making Ms Shirilla nervous that she was also in the car. “My son is dead,” Dominic’s mother told Ms Shirilla, she recalled. “We loved him so much,” Ms Shirilla repeatedly said about Dominic. She then discussed that after the accident, people online were calling Shirilla a murderer and “making death threats”. She made calls to try to take down the comments, since her daughter’s phone was in the custody of police: “She would never ever ever murder the love of her life.” “For three months after the accident, she would only wear his clothes. She would only eat the snacks he ate. She would only listen to the music he wrote,” Ms Shirilla said, talking about how she laid in her bed for three months with a “shrine” of Dominic next to her. Ms Shirilla said she and her husband encouraged their daughter to experience a “second of fun” when Halloween came around after “losing her whole world.” She went to a concert with Dominc’s cousin and others. “I’m hearing an awful lot about your daughter. I’m not hearing very much about the two dead people,” Judge Russo said when Ms Shirilla paused. “I’m asking you for leniency because this was a tragic accident that she does not remember,” Ms Shirilla pleaded, with her hands in a prayer position. “Davion – he’s a new friend…” Ms Shirilla started saying before the judge interjected: “What does that mean? That his life is worthless?” “God no,” Shirilla’s mother protested. “They all spent every day together.” “But isn’t that part of the problem, Ms Shirilla?” the judge asked, continuing: “That they all trusted each other? It’s a problem how they all ended up in a car together and two of them ended up dead.” “I understand what it looks like. I’m saying that it’s a tragic accident – she would never,” Ms Shirilla said. The judge replied, “We’re going to have to disagree on that.” Judge Russo held the trial without a jury, explaining: “She had a mission, and she executed it with precision. The decision was death.” She added, “Her actions were controlled, methodical, deliberate, intentional and purposeful. This was not reckless driving. This was murder.” The court was told that the crash took place at around 5.30am on 31 July 2022 at a building in a business park. Investigators said that Shirilla drove her car down a three-quarter mile road until it hit a speed of 100mph. Data from the car’s computer and surveillance video showed that the steering wheel jerked to the right and then left before the vehicle left the road and crashed into the business. After a passerby reported the wreck roughly 45 minutes later, police arrived to find Russo and Flanagan dead, and Shrilla trapped in the driver’s seat with a fuzzy Prada slipper stuck to the accelerator. The judge told the court that the final seconds of the incident proved that Shirilla acted with purpose. “She morphs from responsible driver to literal hell on wheels,” she said. The 19-year-old will be eligible for parole in 15 years. Read More Teenage girl sobs as she’s sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for ‘hell on wheels’ deadly car crash Chicago woman arrested for threatening to kill Trump and his son Barron Man dead after being hit by Tube train following police chase
2023-08-22 23:46
Man, 77, meant to sell ill-gotten erectile drugs in sprawling Florida retirement community, feds say
Man, 77, meant to sell ill-gotten erectile drugs in sprawling Florida retirement community, feds say
Federal authorities have arrested a 77-year-old man for allegedly buying more than $1,800 in erectile dysfunction drugs without a prescription and intending to sell them in the massive central Florida retirement community The Villages and elsewhere
2023-10-05 23:58
ChatGPT turns to business as popularity wanes
ChatGPT turns to business as popularity wanes
OpenAI on Monday said it was launching a business version of ChatGPT as its artificial intelligence sensation grapples with declining usership nine...
2023-08-29 08:27
Special counsel says there’s ‘no valid basis’ for DC judge in Trump’s Jan 6 case to recuse herself
Special counsel says there’s ‘no valid basis’ for DC judge in Trump’s Jan 6 case to recuse herself
The office of Special Counsel Jack Smith has argued in a motion that there’s “no valid basis” for Judge Tanya Chutkan to recuse herself after Donald Trump’s legal team argued that she should leave the case because of statements she made when sentencing January 6 rioters. “There is no valid basis, under the relevant law and facts, for the Honorable Tanya S. Chutkan, United States District Judge for the District of Columbia, to disqualify herself in this proceeding,” the special counsel’s office wrote in a 20-page filing on Thursday. “In service of his motion (ECF No. 50) seeking the Court’s recusal, the defendant both takes out of context the Court’s words from prior judicial proceedings and misstates the proper legal standards governing judicial recusals.” The special counsel added that Mr Trump “has failed to identify anything approaching the clear and convincing evidence necessary to overcome the presumption of impartiality”. The office argued that Mr Trump was using “suggestion and innuendo to insinuate something sinister in the Court simply doing its job by addressing sentencing arguments”. More follows...
2023-09-15 20:53
Austrians and Czechs reintroduce controls on the border with Slovakia to curb migration
Austrians and Czechs reintroduce controls on the border with Slovakia to curb migration
The Czech Republic and Austria say they are temporarily reintroducing checks along their borders with Slovakia in an effort to stem a flow of migrants
2023-10-03 20:59
Who is Richy Jackson? Lady Gaga's choreographer denies being a bully, claims accusers can't take honest criticism
Who is Richy Jackson? Lady Gaga's choreographer denies being a bully, claims accusers can't take honest criticism
Richy Jackson believes the dancers who have accused him did so out of resentment over not being invited on the 2022 Lady Gaga tour
2023-07-08 15:23
Chaos rules the day as US Open comes to the glitz of Los Angeles
Chaos rules the day as US Open comes to the glitz of Los Angeles
Brooks Koepka says he enjoys chaos
2023-06-15 06:52
A rebounding Pope Francis adds an overnight visit to France to his busy travel schedule
A rebounding Pope Francis adds an overnight visit to France to his busy travel schedule
The Vatican says Pope Francis will make a two-day trip to Marseille, France, in late September
2023-07-29 19:57
Families of those killed in the Parkland school shooting can tour the site starting today
Families of those killed in the Parkland school shooting can tour the site starting today
Some families of those killed in the 2018 massacre at a Parkland, Florida, high school will get a chance to visit the site where their loved ones lost their lives beginning Wednesday, the Broward County state attorney's office said.
2023-07-05 13:51
Morocco jet ski tourists were warned before shooting, Algeria says
Morocco jet ski tourists were warned before shooting, Algeria says
Officials say the group ignored alerts after straying from Moroccan waters, but a survivor disputes this.
2023-09-04 19:20
'Swift studies': Taylor Swift fans trade jokes as Internet debates Harvard's new course on pop star
'Swift studies': Taylor Swift fans trade jokes as Internet debates Harvard's new course on pop star
Harvard University has launched the 'Taylor Swift and Her World' course for the spring 2024 semester, taught by English professor Stephanie L Burt
2023-11-28 16:26
'Today isn’t April Fool's Day Snoop': Fans unconvinced as notorious rapper Snoop Dogg decides to quit smoking
'Today isn’t April Fool's Day Snoop': Fans unconvinced as notorious rapper Snoop Dogg decides to quit smoking
The ‘Dogglyand’ rapper posted on his social media page about his decision to quit marijuana for good
2023-11-17 07:52