Mackenzie Shirilla will not receive another opportunity to have her case heard in court.
The Ohio Supreme Court announced on June 23 that it would not take up her appeal.
The ruling follows a March decision by Ohio’s Eighth District Court of Appeals, which upheld a trial court’s dismissal of Shirilla’s post-conviction appeal. The lower court found the filing came after the 365-day deadline set by the court.
“Shirilla’s post conviction relief petition was filed on the 366th day following the filing of her trial transcript,” the appeals court wrote in its March opinion. “Accordingly, we find that the trial court correctly determined it was without jurisdiction to consider the petition.”
With the state’s highest court declining to review the case, Shirilla’s latest appeal has effectively been rejected.
What Was Mackenzie Shirilla Convicted Of?
Prosecutors previously said data recovered from the vehicle showed Shirilla, who was 17 at the time, had her “right foot pressed down on the acceleration pedal to its full extent” and did not brake before the crash.
“One hundred percent gas pedal, no attempt at using the brake,” Assistant Prosecutor Tim Troup said in the documentary. “The evidence all combines together to show this was not an accident.”
Prosecutors also highlighted what they described as a turbulent relationship between Shirilla and Russo, marked by repeated breakups and reconciliations.
In one text exchange shared in the documentary, Shirilla warned her boyfriend to “watch your back from now on,” adding that it was “my way or the highway.”
Shirilla was ultimately convicted of four counts of murder, four counts of felonious assault, and two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide.
What Has Mackenzie Shirilla Said About The Crash?
Though Shirilla said she has no recollection of the crash, she has continued to proclaim her innocence from behind bars, telling producers of The Crash that “the most logical” explanation is the she suffered a “medical emergency” that day.
“I have no recollection of that morning. I’m not saying I’m innocent,” she said. “I was a driver of a tragedy, but I’m not a murderer.”
Shirilla also insisted in a phone call from jail to her mother that she didn’t “need to be rehabilitated,” according to a recording obtained by People.
Shirilla is currently serving out her sentence at the Ohio Reformatory for Women, per records reviewed by Oxygen.
