Mackenzie Shirilla, the Ohio woman convicted in the so-called “Hell on Wheels” murder case, is making a last-ditch push to overturn her conviction and win a path out of prison.
Attorneys for Shirilla filed a habeas corpus petition Tuesday, arguing that her 2023 murder trial violated constitutional protections, according to WJW.
Shirilla is currently serving two concurrent sentences of 15 years to life at the Ohio Reformatory for Women. Her legal team claims her Sixth Amendment rights were breached during the proceedings.
Lawyers with Marein & Bradley LLC, the firm now representing Shirilla, contend that the medical examiners who performed the autopsies on the two victims — her boyfriend, 20-year-old Dominic Russo, and their friend, 19-year-old Davion Flanagan — did not appear in court to testify.
Instead, a pathologist from the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office testified on their behalf.
The Sixth Amendment guarantees defendants the right to confront witnesses against them. However, Shirilla’s attorneys at the time did not object or raise the issue during her trial.
Shirilla was 17 years old in 2022 when she drove her car into a wall in Strongsville, Ohio, at 100 mph, killing Russo and Flanagan. After her conviction, the judge described her as “literal hell on wheels.”
Although Shirilla was considered a juvenile under Ohio law when the crash occurred, state cases can be transferred to adult court when there is probable cause to believe a serious offense, including murder, has been committed.
Her team’s claiming that prosecutors failed to establish probable cause.
Shirilla’s lawyers claimed prosecutors didn’t prove she acted recklessly, or “purposely or knowingly.”
Shirilla’s defense team also slammed attorneys from Friedman, Nemecek, Long & Grant, the legal firm that represented her originally.
They have alluded to a medical condition, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, which could’ve caused her to lose consciousness at the time of the 100mph smash.
The lawyers claimed there were texts suggesting Russo was the “instigator” of the crash, without divulging further. Prosecutors initially said Shirilla wanted to murder Russo after their relationship seemed to fizzle out.
Her defense team also said the decision to reject a new trial was made in error.
Such petitions must be filed within 365 days of when a trial transcript is submitted, according to state law.
Shirilla’s petition was filed on Oct 24 2024 – but this was one day late because 2024 was a leap year.
In May 2025, Cuyahoga County Judge Nancy Margaret Russo, the same judge who found her guilty at her non-jury trial, ruled that the petition was invalid. The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals later ruled to uphold Russo’s decision.
The lawyers also claimed the manner of the two deaths was changed from “accidental” to “homicide” improperly, WOIO reported.
No date has been set for the habeas corpus petition.
Shirilla’s defense filed a motion with the Ohio Supreme Court regarding the case about her post-conviction appeal.
A motion is with the Eighth District Court of Appeals asking them to re-open her appeal case, but no decision has been made yet.
Shirilla’s first parole hearing is set for September 2037. She is also the subject of the hit Netflix documentary “The Crash.”
