CLEVELAND, OHIO: Mackenzie Shirilla's mother claims that her daughter, who was found guilty of killing her boyfriend and his friend in a high-speed car crash, had a fainting disorder that may have caused her to lose control of the vehicle.
Mackenzie Shirilla, now 19, is facing a life sentence after a judge convicted her on Monday of murdering Dominic Russo, 20, and Davion Flanagan, 19, in a July 2022 crash.
Was Mackenzie Shirilla ill?
The court heard that the three were under the influence of marijuana and hallucinogenic mushrooms when Shirilla, who was 17 at the time, slammed her car into a brick wall at 100 mph without braking in Strongsville, a suburb of Cleveland.
But Nathalie Shirilla, Mackenzie’s mother, testified last week that her daughter had been diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, a condition that makes her pass out if her sodium and hydration levels are too low, according to Cleveland.
Nathalie said that this condition “could be” the reason for the crash, the Daily Mail reported on Thursday.
What are the symptoms of POTS?
The main symptom of POTS is dizziness or fainting, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Russo and Flanagan died at the scene and Shirilla was found unconscious with her foot on the gas pedal after the crash, which was captured on video.
Nathalie said she “completely disagrees” with Judge Nancy Margaret Russo’s remark that her daughter was “literal hell on wheels,” and said she hopes that James McDonnell, her daughter’s lawyer, will appeal.
Mackenzie killed her boyfriend because they had broken up said Judge
The judge said on Monday after the trial without a jury that Mackenzie killed her boyfriend because they had broken up.
Mackenzie’s aunt reportedly said that the couple did not have a troubled relationship, even though the court heard recordings of Mackenzie threatening to scratch Russo’s car.
Assistant Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Tim Troup said in closing arguments Thursday that there was only one explanation for Shirilla’s actions that morning.
"She wanted to murder Russo to culminate a months-long relationship that had soured in the weeks before the crash."
“Davion was just cargo,” Troup said. “Whatever she had in for Dominic, [Flanagan] was just along with his friend and got sucked into a toxic relationship and just got in the wrong seat that night.”
Shirilla and her family paid tribute to Russo
However, despite the conviction, Shirilla has paid tribute to Russo “You had such a perfect life ahead of you,” Shirilla, wrote on Dominic Russo’s obituary page last August.
“I miss your laugh your perfect smile,” she wrote before adding “I feel your energy around me every day I just wish it was physical.”
Shirilla's family also paid tributes to Russo, “She loved you, we loved you. My whole family loved you,” a post attributed to the Shirillas read. “Forever in our hearts...forever.”
Shirilla will be sentenced on Monday to a mandatory life sentence for four counts of murder, four counts of felonious assault, and two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide.
She could be eligible for parole after 15 years under the mandatory sentence.
