Mackenzie Shirilla‘s support team shared a new photograph from prison while her attorneys seek another chance to revive her appeal. The new image, posted Tuesday on Shirilla’s Instagram account, shows the 21-year-old inside the Ohio Reformatory for Women.
In the photograph, she leans against a wall while looking directly at the camera. The post accompanied a renewed appeal to supporters to sign a petition seeking what her team describes as a “fair re-trial.”
Shirilla is serving a prison sentence for the 2022 crash that killed her boyfriend, Dominic Russo and friend Davion Flanagan.
Lawyers seek another review from the Ohio Supreme Court
According to court filings cited by local Ohio media, Shirilla’s attorneys filed a motion on July 7 asking the Ohio Supreme Court to reconsider its June 23 decision. The court had rejected her latest post-conviction appeal on June 23 after ruling that it was submitted one day beyond the legal deadline.
Her legal team argued the filing rules were confusing and has requested that the state’s highest court review the merits of the appeal instead of dismissing it on procedural grounds.
In the recent Instagram post, Shirilla’s support team said, “Mackenzie and her family… will respectfully continue to do everything they can so that the merits of the brief can be heard.”
The post also urged Shirilla’s supporters to circulate information about the case and sign an online petition advocating for a retrial. The campaign further used hashtags including #FreeMackenzie, #WrongfullyConvicted, and #TheCrash.
“We ALL deserve fair representation, and once you review her case you’ll agree she did not get that. Please click, sign, and share the petition in her bio,” the post read.
Why is Mackenzie Shirilla in prison?
Shirilla was convicted after prosecutors argued she intentionally drove her Toyota Camry into a commercial building in Strongsville, Ohio, at nearly 100 mph in July 2022.
The crash killed her 20-year-old boyfriend, Dominic Russo, and their 19-year-old friend, Davion Flanagan. Shirilla survived the collision.
In August 2023, the judge found her guilty of two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide and four counts of felonious assault. She received consecutive sentences totaling 15 years to life in prison.
According to state prison records, Shirilla’s first parole hearing is set for September 2037, when she will be 33.
