How the case unfolded
35 key moments — from the relationship through the crash, trial, verdict and appeals — each linked to the evidence in this archive. Each milestone below is drawn from the research record and tagged by source confidence. Tap a thumbnail to open the related evidence; contested points are marked.
Background
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Mar 23, 2020
Police/fire respond to suicide threat at Shirilla home
ReportedStrongsville police and fire responded to a reported suicide threat by a 15-year-old female at the Shirilla home. Per the police report, she was not hospitalized because her parents did not believe the threats were real. Her mother, Natalie, later testified she never perceived her daughter as suicidal.
Sources & notes (1)
Cited by prosecution-side narratives; relevant to the disputed murder-suicide theory.
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Dec 2021
Shirilla moves in with Dominic Russo
ReportedShirilla and Russo had dated about four years. Russo's mother Christine testified Shirilla moved in with Dominic in December 2021 or January 2022, living in a house Christine owned next door to her own.
Sources & notes (1)
Date range; some accounts say 2021 generally.
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Jul 17, 2022
Highway argument; alleged threat to wreck car
ReportedAllegationFamily friend Christopher Martin testified he picked up an upset Dominic from the shoulder of I-71 after a call to Christine Russo. As cars pulled over, Martin said he heard Shirilla say 'I'm going to wreck this car right now' and saw a 'tussle.' Christine Russo placed this incident on July 17, 2022.
Sources & notes (1)
An allegation by a prosecution witness; Martin admitted he did not report it to police at the time. Some media say 'two weeks before' the crash.
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Jul 28, 2022
Phone GPS placed near crash site days before
ReportedDet. Zaki Hazou testified GPS data from Shirilla's phone placed it in the area of Progress and Alameda on July 28, 2022. Prosecutors argued this showed pre-planning of the route.
Sources & notes (1)
Hazou conceded a phone ping gives a general, not pinpoint, location. Some accounts say 'three days before.'
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Jul 30, 2022 · 10:15 PM ET
Trio attends graduation party
ConfirmedShirilla, Russo and Flanagan arrived at a graduation party hosted by Kellie Vraja around 10:15 p.m. with a bottle of tequila and a vape pen, staying 25-30 minutes. Vraja testified she did not see them drink or use drugs there.
Sources & notes (2)
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Jul 30, 2022 · 11:00 PM ET
Group gathers at Paul Burlinghaus home
ConfirmedAround 11:00 p.m. the trio and other friends went to Paul Burlinghaus's house to 'hang out,' listened to music, and some smoked marijuana. Burlinghaus described it as 'like just a normal sleepover' with no arguments observed between Shirilla and Russo.
Sources & notes (1)
The Incident
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Jul 31, 2022 · 5:30 AM ET
Trio leaves to drive home
ConfirmedLife360 data presented by witness Tyler Croy showed Flanagan's phone left the Brushwood Lane home and began traveling at 5:30 a.m.
Sources & notes (2)
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Jul 31, 2022 · 5:34 AM ET
Camry makes controlled turn onto Progress Drive
ConfirmedCity surveillance captured Shirilla's 2018 Toyota Camry making a slow, controlled turn from southbound Pearl Road onto westbound Progress Drive at about 5:34 a.m., using a turn signal and traveling at the speed limit.
Sources & notes (2)
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≈ Jul 31, 2022 · ~5:36 AM ET
Fatal crash into PLIDCO building
ConfirmedAbout one minute after turning, the Camry accelerated down the dead-end stretch of Progress Drive to an average of 97.8 mph (per OSHP Trooper Elliot Rawson) and crashed into the brick wall of the PLIDCO manufacturing building near Progress and Alameda. Event data recorder analysis (Sgt. Adam McQuaid) showed the accelerator fully depressed for 4.6 seconds with no braking before impact. Life360 logged the crash at 5:36 a.m.
Sources & notes (2)
Prosecutor's office and many outlets say 'approximately 5:30 a.m.'; surveillance/Life360 fix the crash at roughly 5:35-5:36 a.m. Reconstruction speed averaged 97.8 mph approaching the building; media often round to '100 mph.'
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≈ Jul 31, 2022 · ~6:15 AM ET
911 call and first responders arrive
ConfirmedSources differA passer-by called 911 reporting a vehicle crashed into a building near Progress and Alameda. Strongsville Patrol Officer Michael Galassi testified the car looked like it was 'cut in half' and the situation was 'pretty severe'; all three occupants were unconscious, trapped and not breathing. Strongsville Fire extricated Flanagan, then Shirilla, then Russo.
Sources & notes (2)
Reported arrival time varies: 6:15 a.m. (2024 Eighth District opinion, via TODAY); 6:20 a.m. (E! News). The Berea paramedic assist call came 'just before 6:30 a.m.'
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Jul 31, 2022
Russo and Flanagan pronounced dead; Shirilla airlifted
ConfirmedDominic Russo, 20, and Davion Flanagan, 19, were pronounced dead at the scene (Flanagan initially found alive but died before a helicopter arrived). Shirilla, with severe leg and arm injuries, was airlifted to MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland.
Sources & notes (2)
Investigation
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Jul 31, 2022
Scene evidence collected
ConfirmedOfficers recovered about 8.1 grams of psilocybin mushrooms, a digital scale, two cell phones, a bong, marijuana, a purse and a key fob. Cuyahoga County Assistant Prosecutor Tim Troup said about '8 grams of psilocybin mushrooms concealed in her clothing' were found; a baggie of mushrooms was found in Shirilla's shirt by a paramedic. Hospital alcohol testing was negative.
Sources & notes (2)
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Aug 30, 2022
Forensic mechanical inspection of Camry
ConfirmedForensic mechanical expert Mark Sargent inspected the Toyota Camry and found no pre-crash mechanical, braking, throttle or steering failure. He concluded the driver's foot was on the accelerator at impact.
Sources & notes (1)
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Oct 12, 2022
Autopsies completed; manner of death 'accident'
ConfirmedCuyahoga County chief deputy medical examiner Dr. Joseph Felo determined Flanagan and Russo each died of multiple blunt force injuries consistent with a crash. The manner of death was initially classified as accident; Russo's autopsy report was dated Oct. 12, 2022.
Sources & notes (2)
Toxicology showed both victims had used marijuana.
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Oct 21, 2022
Shirilla obtains driver's license post-crash
ReportedBMV investigator testified Shirilla received a driver's license on Oct. 21, 2022, attesting she had no condition causing episodic loss of consciousness — testimony prosecutors used to rebut the POTS blackout defense.
Sources & notes (1)
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Mar 2023
Medical examiner changes manner of death to homicide
ConfirmedIn March 2023, after the prosecution submitted additional evidence (cell phone transcripts, photos, video, witness interviews), Dr. Felo amended both autopsy reports, changing the manner of death from accident to homicide, citing 'the driver's intention of inflicting self harm and harm unto the passengers.'
Sources & notes (2)
The propriety of this amendment later became a basis for Shirilla's post-conviction claims.
Charges
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Nov 4, 2022 · 2:45 PM ET
Shirilla arrested for aggravated murder
ConfirmedStrongsville police arrested Shirilla shortly after 2:45 p.m. on Nov. 4, 2022, after her hospital discharge, on a warrant signed that day. A detective told her 'You're under arrest for aggravated murder times two.' The juvenile complaint listed numerous charges including two counts of aggravated murder.
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Date undetermined
Grand jury returns 12-count indictment
ConfirmedA Cuyahoga County grand jury returned a 12-count indictment (CR-23-679612-A): four counts of murder, four counts of felonious assault, two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, one count of drug possession and one count of possessing criminal tools. Aggravated murder was not charged after juvenile court found no probable cause for it.
Sources & notes (2)
Exact indictment return date NOT FOUND in public sources; necessarily between the March 17, 2023 bindover and the April 13, 2023 arraignment.
Pretrial
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Mar 17, 2023
Case bound over from juvenile to adult court
ReportedThe Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court found the State failed to establish probable cause for aggravated murder but found probable cause on the remaining charges and transferred (bound over) the case to the General Division for adult prosecution. Court documents placed the bindover on March 17, 2023.
Sources & notes (2)
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Apr 13, 2023
Arraignment; not guilty plea; $500K bond; case to Judge Russo
ConfirmedShirilla (then 18) appeared via Zoom from the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Detention Facility, pleaded not guilty, and the court continued bond at $500,000, assigned the case to Judge Nancy Margaret Russo, and entered a no-contact order. A prosecutor told the court the evidence showed 'intentional and purposeful deaths.'
Sources & notes (2)
The Trial
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Aug 7, 2023
Bench trial begins; jury waived; judge view of route
ConfirmedShirilla waived her right to a jury trial and elected a bench trial before Judge Russo. The court conducted a 'judge view,' visiting locations along the route the trio traveled. The parties stipulated Shirilla was the driver. The four-day trial began Aug. 7, 2023.
Sources & notes (2)
Defense attorney was James McDonnell.
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≈ Aug 8, 2023
Prosecution presents crash, forensic and relationship evidence
ConfirmedAllegationOver the trial's early days the State called Strongsville officers (Galassi, Robinson, Vanek, Hazou), crash experts (Sgt. Adam McQuaid on the event data recorder; Trooper Elliot Rawson, OSHP, on speed averaging 97.8 mph), forensic mechanic Mark Sargent, trauma surgeon Dr. Esther Tseng, medical examiner Dr. Joseph Felo, and relationship witnesses (Christopher Martin, Christine and Angelo Russo). Evidence included surveillance video, the black box, GPS data, social media and the 'I'm going to wreck this car' allegation.
Toyota Forensic Inspection 12 items · 2.7 GB Crash Scene 40 items · 179.7 MB Mackenzie Shirilla 1 item · 20.8 GB Mackenzie Social Media 4 items · 20.3 GBSources & notes (1)
Specific witness-by-day dates not all individually datable from public sources; grouped as the State's case-in-chief.
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Aug 10, 2023
Closing arguments; defense POTS theory
ReportedClosing arguments were delivered Thursday, Aug. 10, 2023. Shirilla did not testify. Her mother Natalie testified to a 2017 POTS diagnosis as a possible cause of a blackout; a great-aunt testified the couple was in love and getting along. Det. Hazou testified he compiled 136 social-media items in a 'reckless driving' file. The defense argued the State could not prove the crash was intentional.
Sources & notes (1)
No medical expert was called to confirm the POTS diagnosis.
Verdict
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Aug 14, 2023
Judge Russo finds Shirilla guilty on all 12 counts
ConfirmedJudge Nancy Margaret Russo found Shirilla guilty of all 12 counts: four counts of murder, four of felonious assault, two of aggravated vehicular homicide, one of drug possession and one of possessing criminal tools. She called the actions 'controlled, methodical, deliberate, intentional and purposeful,' said 'This was not reckless driving. This was murder,' and described Shirilla as morphing into 'literal hell on wheels.' She noted a failed suicide attempt is not a defense to murder.
Sources & notes (2)
Ohio law allows multiple murder counts under different legal theories for the two deaths.
Sentencing
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Aug 21, 2023
Sentenced to two concurrent terms of 15 years to life
ConfirmedSources differAfter merger of allied offenses, Judge Russo sentenced Shirilla to two concurrent terms of 15 years to life for the murders (plus concurrent 7-month terms for the minor drug/tools counts) and permanently suspended her driver's license. Victims' families gave impact statements; several urged consecutive terms totaling 30 years to life. Russo said she did not believe Shirilla would be released in 15 years. Shirilla apologized, calling Russo her 'soulmate.'
Sources & notes (2)
Sentencing date is firmly Aug. 21, 2023, per the prosecutor's office and same-day reporting; some secondary sources erroneously state Aug. 23 or Aug. 31, 2023.
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Aug 31, 2023
Shirilla enters Ohio Reformatory for Women
ReportedPrison records show Shirilla entered the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville on Aug. 31, 2023. Her earliest parole eligibility is Oct. 29, 2037.
Sources & notes (2)
Parole eligibility reported as Oct. 29, 2037 (NBC News).
Appeals & Aftermath
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Sep 25, 2023
Direct appeal filed to Eighth District
ReportedShirilla's legal team filed a direct appeal arguing insufficient evidence of intent, error in the juvenile bindover, and improper admission of relationship/'other acts' evidence and the amended autopsies.
Sources & notes (2)
Wikipedia gives Sept. 25, 2023; NBC says 'September 2023.'
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Oct 24, 2023
Trial transcript filed in court of appeals
ConfirmedThe clerk noted the trial transcript filed on the docket on Oct. 24, 2023 — later the disputed trigger date for the 365-day post-conviction relief deadline. (Prosecutors elsewhere cited Oct. 23, 2023.)
Sources & notes (1)
Juvenile bindover transcript was separately filed Dec. 15, 2023; the dispute over which date controls became central to later appeals.
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Sep 26, 2024
Eighth District affirms convictions (2024-Ohio-4674)
ConfirmedThe Eighth District Court of Appeals (Presiding Judge Eileen A. Gallagher) unanimously affirmed Shirilla's convictions, finding sufficient evidence, no manifest-weight error, proper bindover, and proper admission of the challenged evidence.
Sources & notes (2)
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Oct 24, 2024
Post-conviction relief petition filed (one day late)
ConfirmedShirilla's attorneys filed a petition for post-conviction relief on Oct. 24, 2024 — the 366th day after the trial transcript filing — arguing ineffective assistance for failing to present POTS expert evidence and challenging the amended coroner's reports.
Sources & notes (2)
Filing was one day past the 365-day jurisdictional deadline; defense attributes the error to the 2024 leap year.
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Apr 29, 2025
Ohio Supreme Court declines first appeal
ConfirmedThe Supreme Court of Ohio declined to accept jurisdiction over Shirilla's appeal of the affirmed convictions, leaving the Eighth District's decision in place.
Sources & notes (1)
Cleveland19 reported the decision came 'Tuesday' (April 29, 2025); some outlets say 'May 2025.'
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May 2025
Judge Russo dismisses PCR petition as untimely
ConfirmedJudge Russo dismissed the post-conviction relief petition for lack of jurisdiction because it was filed past the statutory 365-day deadline, without ruling on the merits of the POTS/ineffective-counsel claims.
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Mar 12, 2026
Eighth District affirms PCR denial (2026-Ohio-830)
ConfirmedThe Eighth District (Judge Anita Laster Mays) unanimously affirmed the dismissal, holding the petition was filed on the 366th day and the trial court lacked jurisdiction; juvenile bindover transcripts did not extend the deadline and the leap-year argument failed.
Sources & notes (2)
Decision journalized mid-March 2026; reported March 12, 2026.
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Apr 27, 2026
Appeal to Ohio Supreme Court on deadline dispute
ConfirmedShirilla's attorneys filed an appeal with the Ohio Supreme Court on April 27, 2026, arguing the PCR petition should be deemed timely and that medical evidence supports a possible blackout. The court has not said whether it will take the case.
Sources & notes (2)
Pending as of June 2026.
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May 15, 2026
Netflix documentary 'The Crash' released
ConfirmedNetflix released 'The Crash,' featuring Shirilla's first public interview, renewing national attention. It later prompted a large Strongsville Police records release (texts, jail calls, bodycam) in late May 2026 and Shirilla's father being placed on administrative leave from his teaching job.
Sources & notes (2)
Context/post-conviction media event, not a court proceeding.