Mackenzie Shirilla Takes Fight for New Trial to Federal Court

Mackenzie Shirilla, convicted of murdering her boyfriend and another man, has taken her fight for a new trial to federal court. After the Ohio Supreme Court declined to hear her appeal, she filed a federal petition seeking to overturn her conviction.

In the petition, attorney Mackenzie Shirilla's lawyer Steven Bradley challenges nearly every aspect of the case. He argues there was insufficient evidence to move her case from juvenile to adult court — she was 17 at the time of the crash — and to convict her of intentional murder.

The defense claims that her trial attorneys failed to present key evidence. Specifically, they did not consider that her boyfriend Dominic Russo may have grabbed the steering wheel before the car slammed into a building at around 100 mph.

Additionally, the petition alleges inadequate investigation of her nervous system disorder, which can cause fainting and dizziness. Her lawyers did not call an expert to explain how this condition might have caused her to lose consciousness while driving.

Shirilla also challenges changes made to the victims' coroner reports and testimony from a medical examiner who allegedly did not personally perform the autopsies. These factors, according to the defense, could have affected the fairness of the trial.

The federal filing comes after the Ohio Supreme Court declined her appeal; a request for reconsideration is still pending. Mackenzie Shirilla is currently serving two concurrent sentences of 15 years to life, first eligible for parole in 2037.