Dominic Russo's dad Frank explains why he doesn't want killer Mackenzie Shirilla to spend her life in prison
STRONGSVILLE, OHIO: The father of Mackenzie Shirilla, an Ohio teen killed in a 100 mph crash, said she needs help, not a life sentence.
When Shirilla, 18, is sentenced in court on Monday for the killings of her boyfriend Dominic Russo, 20, and passenger Davion Flanagan, 19, she could be given a life sentence without the possibility of parole until 2055.
Who is Frank Russo?
Frank Russo, 61, the father of her boyfriend Dominic Russo, 20, doesn't support sending Shirilla to jail for life.
He said, “It’s horrible for everybody. Yeah, I lost my son, it’s harder on our family, but I don’t want the rest of her life ruined too. It isn’t going to make me feel any better."
Russo said the trial was difficult to go through because it occurred around the one-year anniversary of his son's death, as reported by NBC.
What did Frank Russo said?
Russo told NBC News on Friday, "She's just a kid; her family's destroyed too." Shirilla, who was in a tumultuous relationship and had previously been overheard threatening her boyfriend, committed a deliberate act of murder, according to prosecutors and the judge who agreed with them.
Despite his loss, Frank Russo expressed his desire for Shirilla to receive assistance. He said, “She’s just a little kid. She f---ed up. She did a damn stupid thing but now her parents are destroyed, her family’s destroyed too,” he said. “I wish there was a way she could get some kind of help, some kind of treatment.”
How did the accident happen?
On July 31, 2016, at 5.30 am in the Strongsville neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio, she was operating the vehicle at a terrifyingly high speed when it crashed into the wall of a building. The three of them had all been using marijuana, and the police also found some magic mushrooms at the scene.
According to her family, she insisted it was an accident and that she lost control of the car. A text message she sent Dominic's mother stating that she would require hypnotism to recall it was displayed in court, according to NBC affiliate WKYC in Cleveland.
The text reads, "I remember turning onto the street and then my vision fades to black. It really kills me not being able to remember anything,' it read. I’ve been asking my therapist why I don’t remember and she said it’s because of trauma but I’m gonna try to go get hypnotized and make myself remember."
Mr. Russo advised her to stop pretending she didn't witness the crash. "I wish she would just tell us what exactly happened and I’d be willing to reduce the sentence."
What are the charges against Mackenzie Shirilla?
Shirilla sobbed in court and covered her mouth as her verdict was read out loud on Monday.
In addition to four counts of murder, she was found guilty of four counts of felonious assault, two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, one count of drug possession, and one count of possessing criminal tools.
Prosecutors claimed Shirilla had become increasingly violent and threatening in the weeks leading up to the crash. In contrast, the defense claimed the couple fought and it was impossible to determine whether Shirilla intentionally crashed the car.