Recently surfaced bodycam footage captures a heated exchange between Mackenzie Shirilla’s father and Ohio police officers following her arrest for a tragic incident resulting in two deaths. The footage reveals her father, Steven Shirilla, expressing frustration and referring to Mackenzie as a “dumb 18-year-old,” while insisting that officers refrain from interrogating her.
Dubbed ‘Hell on Wheels,’ Mackenzie was taken into custody on November 4, 2022, after a devastating crash that claimed the lives of her boyfriend, 20-year-old Dominic Russo, and their friend, 18-year-old Davion Flanagan. The incident occurred when her car collided with a building.
Steven Shirilla arrived at the Strongsville Police Department shortly after her arrest, engaging in a tense three-minute dialogue with officers. He expressed disbelief at the situation, describing his daughter’s detention as “unbelievable.”
In the footage, which was obtained by Fox News, Steven is heard urgently requesting, “I need to speak with my daughter.”
“You’re not allowed to speak with her at all,” he insisted, citing the lawyer’s instructions. “He does not want you guys speaking with her. It’s unbelievable, I mean, she’s 18.”
His frustration grew over the timing of Mackenzie’s arrest, which took place over the weekend. Steven argued that authorities should have contacted him to bring her to the station himself, rather than proceeding with the arrest.
An officer was heard calmly explaining that his daughter was arrested that day because that was when a judge signed the warrant.
Steven only escalated his rhetoric, accusing officers of having a ‘creeper out on the front lawn watching’ the family at their home.
Mackenzie Shirilla’s father, Steven Shirilla, lashed out at Ohio police after his daughter’s arrest in 2022, calling her a ‘dumb 18-year-old’ and demanding they not question her
In July 2022, Strongsville Police Department responded to a crash in which a Camry struck a brick building at nearly 100 mph, with Mackenzie identified as the driver
Makenzie was arrested on November 4, 2022, months after crashing her car into a building and killing her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, 20, and their friend, Davion Flanagan, 18
Pacing back and forth, he repeatedly said police were ‘not allowed’ to question his daughter and insisted he be allowed to speak with her so she wouldn’t talk to investigators and wouldn’t ‘open her mouth.’
An officer reminded him that Mackenzie is 18 and can speak for herself – something Steven quickly pushed back on.
‘Yeah, but she’s a dumb 18-year-old that just turned 18,’ he said. When his wife, Natalie Shirilla, protested with a slight laugh, he doubled down, adding, ‘All the kids nowadays are dumb.’
Once again, officers denied his request to see her, stating that Mackenzie would need to invoke her Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination in order to speak to anyone.
As Steven began to walk out of the station, he yelled, ‘She’s not allowed to speak to you guys, I’m telling you that,’ and added before leaving, ‘Don’t ask her any questions!’
Mackenzie was ultimately convicted of murder in August 2023 and is currently serving two concurrent sentences of 15 years to life at the Ohio Reformatory for Women.
The case drew national attention, fueled in part by disturbing details about Mackenzie’s behavior before the crash. Her actions have returned to the spotlight following the release of the Netflix documentary The Crash.
Since the series dropped, Fox 8 News learned that Steven would not be returning to his teaching position as an art teacher at Mary Queen of Peace School.
Steven spent nearly three minutes arguing with officers in the station, where he called Mackenzie’s arrest ‘unbelievable’
In camera footage obtained by TMZ, a police officer at the scene of the crash can be heard saying: ‘Radio, this car’s split in two’
Judge Nancy Margaret Russo, who presided over the case, described Mackenzie’s actions as ‘controlled, methodical, deliberate, intentional, and purposeful’
Steven repeatedly said police were ‘not allowed’ to question his daughter and insisted he be allowed to speak with her so she wouldn’t ‘open her mouth’
‘Catholic school personnel decisions are the purview of each school in the Diocese of Cleveland,’ Catholic Diocese of Cleveland told Fox News Digital.
‘Due to privacy considerations, neither the schools nor the Diocese ordinarily discuss personnel issues publicly,’ they added. ‘However, we can confirm that Mr Steve Shirilla will not be returning to Mary Queen of Peace School.’
Steven’s explosive tirade at the station came less than four months after officers with the Strongsville Police Department responded to a crash in which a Camry struck a brick building at nearly 100 mph, with Mackenzie identified as the driver.
‘Radio, this car’s split in two,’ one police officer could be heard saying in newly resurfaced body camera footage obtained by TMZ as he crossed a field of debris.
Mackenzie, 17 at the time, was pulled from the car and flown to MetroHealth after being wedged between the driver’s seat and door, while Dominic and Davion were pronounced dead after being extricated from the wreckage.
At trial, prosecutors argued the crash was no accident and pointed to video evidence they said showed deliberate action rather than a loss of control. Judge Nancy Margaret Russo, who presided over the case, agreed.
‘This was not reckless driving – this was murder,’ she said when delivering her verdict in 2023. ‘She had a mission, and she executed it with precision. The decision was death.’
A grand jury presentation showed the car going 90mph in a 35mph zone, with data indicating full acceleration and no braking seconds before the crash.
Mackenzie has long maintained that she suffered a medical emergency behind the wheel
A grand jury presentation showed the car going 90 mph in a 35 mph zone, with data indicating full acceleration and no braking seconds before the crash
Mackenzie was convicted of murder in August 2023 and is currently serving two concurrent sentences of 15 years to life at the Ohio Reformatory for Women
Judge Russo described Mackenzie’s actions as ‘controlled, methodical, deliberate, intentional, and purposeful,’ concluding that she intended to kill the two young men.
She was convicted on multiple counts, including aggravated vehicular homicide and felonious assault, and sentenced to a lengthy prison term with the possibility of parole.
Meanwhile, Mackenzie has long maintained that she suffered a medical emergency behind the wheel in the early morning hours of that fateful morning, when she crashed her Toyota Camry into the Plidco Building.
When she later found out that her case was back in the news, Mackenzie was caught laughing in a jailhouse phone call with her mother.
They giggled as they said ‘the Daily Mail published’ her claims of innocence in exclusive reporting that saw former inmates allege she has become a prolific lesbian behind bars, and has been disciplined a number of times for flouting prison rules.
In their call, the pair laughed together as Mackenzie speculated that her case could be picked up by Kim Kardashian, who has attempted to publicize several inmates’ claims of innocence in recent years.
But after her appeal for a new trial was denied in March, the now-21-year-old will not face the possibility of parole until 2037.
