True Crime with Kendall Rae - This 17 Yr. Old Girl Crashed Into a Wall Going 100 Mph Killing Boyfriend Dominic & Friend Davion

Episode Date: September 26, 2023

17-year-old Mackenzie Shirilla stood trial recently for the murders of Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan after it was alleged that she drove her car 100 mph into a brick wall with the intent to kill. The case has sparked a lot of media coverage due to some of the not-so-normal things Mackenzie did following the death of her boyfriend and friend. Do you think the judge made the right decision? GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/davion-flanagan Donate to NCMEC through my campaign! https://give.missingkids.org/campaign/kendall-rae/c438796 This episode is sponsored by: Rocket Money Check out Kendall's other podcasts: The Sesh & Mile Higher Follow Kendall! YouTube Twitter Instagram Facebook Mile Higher Zoo REQUESTS: General case suggestion form: https://bit.ly/32kwPly Form for people directly related/ close to the victim: https://bit.ly/3KqMZLj Discord: https://discord.com/invite/an4stY9BCN CONTACT: For Business Inquiries - [e-mail]

We'll get back to your podcast after this break. Actually, wouldn't it be great if this was your break? Right here in the podcast you love? You can connect your brand to your target audience with the help of Roger Sports and Media. As one of Canada's biggest podcast networks, we can help you explore advertising options within this podcast and so many others.

It's a chance to showcase your brand to listeners who are passionate about the content they're hearing. Learn more at RogerSportssports-media.com. Hello, everyone, and welcome back to True Crime with Kendall Ray. I'm so happy to have you here with me to discuss yet another case, and if you are new, then welcome. So today we are going to be going over a case that has been in the media recently.

The trial actually just wrapped up last month in August. And I am very curious to see what you guys have to say about this one. I have gotten so many requests to talk about this case. It has been a huge point of discussion online. It's also going to be very difficult to discuss because we are talking about two young men who had no idea their lives would be cut short by someone who they loved and trusted. Before we jump into the case, though, I wanted to give you guys some good news. And that is that we have now officially raised over $218,000 for National Center for Missing Children. And I am so, so proud

of that number. It's amazing that it's going to make a huge impact for NeckMek. I am so grateful. I know they are so, so grateful. I'm actually going to be going down or up to Washington, D.C. next week, and I get to go to their headquarters, get a tour. I'm gonna be talking about ways that we can continue to raise that amount. I get to go to the NeckMet Gala. So, thank you guys all for giving me those opportunities

for helping NeckMek, you know, whether that's buying charity merch from helping NeckMek, you know, whether that's buying charity merch from our NeckMek collection, from making your own individual donations, from becoming members where 10% of your membership is donated to NeckMek every month. I am just so, so proud of the audience that I have. You guys are truly amazing and just know that

all of that is making a huge impact But let's go ahead and jump into this case like I said the two victims that we're gonna be talking about today We're very young and had their whole lives ahead of them 20-year-old Dominic Russo and 19-year-old Davy on Flanagan two young men from Strongesville, Ohio Two young men who had no idea that on the night of July 31st, 2022, their lives would be taken by someone that they loved and trusted. And before I tell you about their tragic deaths, I wanted to take some time to talk about their lives, who they were, the impact they each made on

their friends, families, their communities, and just how incredible these two young men were. So Dominic Anthony Russo was born on September 24, 2001, to his mother Christine and his father Frank. He had four brothers, Angelo, Christopher, Michael, and Frank, and two sisters Christine and Nicole. Dominic was not only a loving brother, he was also a devoted friend and member of his community. Dominic loved to read, his brother, Angelo said that he

was always reading something, and he had an interest in helping others from a very young age. So much so that a few months before his passing, Dominic told his brother he was interested in joining the military. And Angelo was against this, just knowing the dangers that his brother could face, but he was proud of him for wanting to serve his country. And it was truly a testament to the kind of person he was. In addition to that, Dominic was also interested in music and had been taking steps to become a producer. Angela described his brother as a businessman, a song producer, and an entrepreneur.

And even though he was just 20 years old at the time of his death, he had already started to accomplish so much. In 2022, Dominic graduated from Strong's ville High School and was looking forward to a long future ahead. Now, at this time, he was also dating his high school sweetheart, Mackenzie Sherrilla. And it's pretty unclear whether or not he wanted his future to include her. And looking at their relationship now, recent events have made it seem like he no longer wanted to be in this relationship, and this was something that Mackenzie was not willing to accept. Their relationship, which Mackenzie claims was happy and loving, has come into question in the light of his death. And once we finish talking about everything, I am really curious to know more about what

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takes care of the rest. With over 3 million users and counting, Rocket Money customers have saved an average of 720 bucks a year. So stop wasting money on things you don't use. Cancel your unwanted subscriptions and manage your money the easy way by going to rocketmoney.com slash Kendall Ray. That's rocketmoney.com slash Kendall Ray rocketmoney.com slash Kendall Ray. After his death, this is what two of his friends had to say about him. Dom was an extremely sweet person. I grew up with him, Angelo and Bernie. We used to play ball, and the Russo family took me in as if I was a Russo. I am extremely grateful for all the memories and good times that we had together. The other said, there's nobody

like Dom. If I needed advice, he knew what to say. If I needed a friend, he was there. He always had the energy of an absolute boss, regardless of where he was. I think what I respected most about him was that he's always known who he is. And I have to say, just looking at his obituary page was devastating. I mean, he really impacted a lot of people, seeing all the kind words that his friends and family wrote about him, just show how loved and respected he was. So now let's talk about Davion, the other victim in this case, and his impact on his community, friends and family was just as large. Davion, Mark Hell, Flanagan, was born March 11, 2003. However,

his life story is quite different than Dominix, And that's mainly because Davion and his two sisters actually grew up in the foster care system until 2012 when they were officially adopted by Jamie and Scott Flanagan. Now, the information about his early life is pretty limited, but I can tell you that when they were adopted, his life and the lives of his sisters changed forever. I will never forget the day that I came home from work and my husband Scott couldn't wait to show me a group of kids that he had found while searching the website for foster-to-adopt kids. This had happened a few other days before, but this day was different. He excitedly pulled up the picks of this adorable sibling group of three that had just become available for adoption. We read the very short bios, only one to two sentences long each. Their infectious smiles and strong bond drew our hearts in. We were immediately

in love. Trying to be level headed, we agreed to sleep on it and contact our social worker for more details if we were still feeling led in the following days. That next day, early in the morning before we had even had a chance to start our day, our phone rang. It was our social worker whom we hadn't heard from in months, calling with so much excitement, saying that she had found the perfect kids for us. In fact, she felt so strongly that she had already taken the liberty of putting in our

names an application for them, apologizing for her boldness. She raved about how this was such a great match and didn't want to waste any time for us, wanting to be sure that we were considered for these kids. With hopeful hearts, we wrote down the case number of the kids that she spoke of and told her that we would look them up and get back to her. Our hearts literally skipped a beat and soared with joy when the search results appeared.

They are on the screen where the pictures of those same three adorable kids that we have been sleeping on. First picture I've ever saw of my son, Davian, my two girls, Devian and Dalia. I instantly started crying and repeating over and over that those, those are our kids. My heart just knew that it was to be this amazing boy and his two amazing sisters that would forever change our lives were always meant to be ours. Davian was a kind and loyal kid who not only looked out for the safety and welfare of his sisters, but also for his friends.

He was also known as someone who could go to no matter what. And because of this, so many people were lucky to call him their friend. Like Dominic, Davian was also a student at Strong'sville High School where he played football. Football was definitely one of his biggest passions. I mean, to say that he loved sports is an understatement. And he was good. By his senior year, he was starting running back. Another one of his passions was hair. Davian wanted to become a barber. After graduating high school, Davion was planning to attend barber school and dreamed of one day opening his own barber shop. But like I

said, neither Davion or Dominic were able to live out those dreams because of the selfish actions of one individual. Mackenzie Sherilla on the night of July 30 to the early morning hours of July 31st, 2022, Davion, Dominic, and McKenzie were out of friend's house smoking weed. It's unclear when exactly they left, but around 5.30 a.m., McKenzie drove her 2018 Toyota Camry at 100 miles per hour into the side of a brick building killing Dominic and Davion. A little while later, someone saw what appeared to be a very severe car wreck, and 911 was called. By 6.15 a.m., local authorities and paramedics arrived at the scene and sadly, both Dominic and Davion were prounced dead on arrival. They had been trapped inside the vehicle since it crashed. And I can only hope that for their

sakes, their deaths were as quick and painless as possible. As for McKenzie, she was also trapped inside the vehicle and unconscious, but alive and expected to make a full recovery. EMS removed her from the vehicle as quickly and carefully as possible. And she was life flighted to Metro Health Medical Center where she was treated for her injuries. And as a parent myself now, I cannot imagine how devastating and world-shattering it was for Davion and Dominic's parents to get the news that they did not survive this crash. Now, in the aftermath of the crash, there has been a lot of controversy over the way the Shorilla family has handled themselves. To Dominic and Davyon's families and to many other people, it has seemed like the biggest concern for Mackenzie's parents was her reputation.

Because even though the crash may have looked like an accident, it didn't take people long at all to speculate that this was actually intentional. Dominic's mom, Christine, said that when she first spoke to McKenzie's mom Natalie on the 31st, she seemed more concerned over what people were saying about McKenzie on Facebook than the fact that two boys were dead. Until I 31st, 2022, they call Mackenzie's mother hysterical with the loss of my son in Davian. I knew Mackenzie was in the hospital. And the first statement said to me was, oh, please don't listen to what everyone's saying on Facebook.

Yeah. My son is dead. His son is dead. His friend is dead and I'm checking on yours. Get social media is what's important. And people did have a lot to say. I mean, literally the day of the crash, people were already calling Mackenzie a murderer. Now, of course, as a mother, I'm sure Natalie wanted to protect her child from what people were saying about her online, but if that was really her biggest concern at that point, that is really disappointing. But the reality of this case is that those early rumors about murder were confirmed to be true after an investigation was done. Now, McKenzie's mom Natalie has denied bringing up

social media and the bad things being said about McKenzie that first day. She said all she was trying to do was figure out what exactly was going on, but I will let you decide what you think. So I called down like over and over again, praying that he was gonna answer the phone and he didn't answer the phone, so that I could try to call his mom and she didn't answer the phone either and I still didn't know who was in the car

I don't even know if she was alive. I didn't know what was happening So then we were in the waiting room and Then his mom ended up did she did call me? So I answered the phone and I was like oh my god Like I don't even know who was in the car like what's happening? Was that diamond? She said what do you mean? My son is dead. And I was like, I'm so sorry. And then she said something like, and now I have to wait until your kids

out at the hospital. And then I didn't hear the rest. I just, I was like, we loved him so much. And I hung up the phone. I did not talk about social media. I didn't even know what was going on yet. OK. So the investigation into the crash began right away.

And not only were the police able to determine that Mackenzie drove her car 100 miles an hour into a brick wall on purpose, but that she had carefully planned the route that she was gonna take three days prior to the crash. And how exactly they came to this conclusion is pretty wild and just stick with me because I will explain that in a bit.

But whether or not Mackenzie planned to take her own life that morning, we just don't know. And we may never know because at this point, Mackenzie has not admitted to faults and she claims to have no memory of the crash at all. In text that were sent to Dominic's mom, Mackenzie says that she remembers turning onto the street and then her vision faded to black.

She even said that it, quote, killed her, not being able to remember anything, and that she was planning to try and get hypnotized to try and make herself remember. Mackenzie's mom has said that she has been diagnosed with a condition called POTS. It causes dizziness and fainting if her sodium and hydration levels are too low. And really, this is just one explanation for why her and her family say the crash happened.

However, despite their efforts to deny fault, Mackenzie was arrested. On November 4, 2022, she was arrested for aggravated vehicular manslaughter. The first of many charges that she was going to face. And for nearly a year, McKenzie was held in a juvenile detention center while the case against her was being built. And in total, McKenzie ended up being charged with four counts of murder, four counts of phalonius assault, two counts of aggravated vehicular manslaughter, one count of drug possession, and one count of possessing criminal tools. There was an arraignment hearing earlier this year in April of 2023, and McKenzie attended

via Zoom, where she pleaded not guilty. After giving her plea, the judge set her bail at $500,000 and issued a no contact order between Mackenzie and the victim's families. The court says tonight guilty clear original buys continue $500,000 cash, shorted property, cleaning must be submitted. Also, no contact with the victim's family. Missed it means yourself, your friends, your family members may not have any contact

with the alleged victim's families. Do you understand that? Yes? Mackenzie's next hearing was held on July 19th where she was offered a plea deal by the prosecuting attorney. Now the exact implications of this deal are confusing to me, but they were asking that she plead guilty on two of the murder charges and the one possession charge.

Thank you, Your Honor. At this time, the state has provided full disclosure of discovery. I have received an offer from the defense, and my supervisors marked this file. The state's proposed resolution to the case would be for the defendant to plead guilty to counts 3-4 and 11 as charged. Counts three and four are both titled murder. They are murder, e, under 2, 9, 0, 3, 0, 2, feet, count of 11 and his drug possession of felony at the fifth degree under 2, 9, 25,

0, 11, and a day. And even though she knew she was going to be tried as an adult for all 12 charges and faced life in prison, she didn't take it. That's correct, Your Honor. I went on Monday and discussed this a great length with Mackenzie, a week before that, with her parents present, talked with her today, and it's her desire that she does not want to hurt. Maybe two counts of work. And maybe it's just me, but personally, I don't see a very remorseful person sitting there in court. If you're watching along with me or you're listening and you look up that

court footage yourself, you can see her facial expressions and body language. And I don't know, man, I'm curious to see what all of you make of this. In your opinion, does this look like someone who is deeply sorry for killing her boyfriend and friend? Well the prosecution definitely didn't think so and this ends up being one of the biggest points they make during the trial. She was just a high schooler but now she's on trial for murder. Prosecutors say she intentionally caused a deadly high-speed crash. Every word five o'clock, Arcaneetursec takes you inside the courtroom where prosecutors showed surveillance footage of that crash.

A crash that claimed the lives of two young men, the person behind the wheel, once a friend, now on trial for their murders. Each one of their families, present in the courtroom, but two people were missing. 20-year-old Dominic Russo and 19-year-old Davie and Flanagan, their families never again able to say I love you. So very recently, August 7th of this year, Mackenzie's Bench Trial began. And for those of you who aren't familiar with what a Bench Trial is, it's basically when a judge decides the final outcome, there is no jury or anything like that. And the benefit of a bench trial is it's often much quicker. And there's no jury selection process. So it's, you know, easier for everyone involved.

And McKenzie's trial was definitely pretty quick. Within four days, a decision was made. And before I tell you that decision, let me lay out all the evidence. Like I've mentioned several times so far, the prosecution believed and argued that McKenzie intentionally and deliberately murdered Dominic and Davion on the morning of July 31. And the motive behind these murders? Well, they believe that the so-called happy and loving relationship between McKenzie and Dominic wasn't so happy and loving after all.

And that, unfortunately, Davion was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Prosecutors believe that McKenzie and Dominic were actually in a very toxic relationship. And that McKenzie had threatened Dominic many times. And there is one video, which was actually played in court that exhibits one of these threats. How would you describe Dominic's tone on these videos? Very calm. How would you describe the defendant's tone on these videos? I rate and angry. And obviously I know that threatening to key his car is very different than murder, but there was a friend who claims they overheard McKenzie in the past threatened to crash her car with Dominic inside.

And I will say that you should take that information with a grain of salt because of course it can't be proven. But even if you put that aside, the prosecution did have plenty of evidence that you just can't deny. There is surveillance footage that was taken on the intersection of progress and Alameda, which captures Mackenzie driving the car to the crash site on July 31st. You don't actually see the crash itself. The clip is only three seconds long, but you can see Mackenzie accelerating at 100 miles per hour into the distance.

And then seconds later, you can hear the sound of the crash. Now this route, which she did not take to the friend's house the night before is described as obscure and not a logical route to take for where she was going. And if that's not enough to convince you, there is additional surveillance footage and cell phone location data that show McKenzie

taking this route three days before. And keep in mind, this is not a route she'd ever taken before. We'll get back to your podcast after this break. Actually, wouldn't it be great if this was your break? Right here in the podcast you love? You can connect your brand to your target audience with the help of Roger Sports and Media. As one of Canada's biggest podcast networks, we can help you explore

advertising options within this podcast and so many others. It's a chance to showcase your brand to listeners who are passionate about the content they're hearing. Learn more at roger-sports-media.com. So what does this mean? Well, to the prosecution, it means that Mackenzie had mapped out her exact path of destruction. And they say that there is no logical explanation for this other than cold, blooded murder. That Dominic wanted out of the relationship, and instead of just accept it, Mackenzie killed him. And when it comes to the scene, there is more than just what we see in the surveillance footage. When Mackenzie was found unconscious at the scene, she was wearing

fuzzy produs slippers and her foot was still on the gas pedal, indicating that she never attempted to slow down or stop the car. An expert testimony shared that the gas pedal was pushed to the car's full acceleration capacity without any attempts to ever hit the brake, let that sink in. Mackenzie never tried to stop the car. So when I explain what the defense had to say, just please keep that in mind. Next at the scene, investigators found mushrooms and a digital scale leading to her drug possession and possessing criminal tools charges. And not just that, but one detective actually put together a file called Reckless Driving that had over 136

items in it. In it, there were things like images of Mackenzie behind the wheel with cigarettes in her mouth that were believed to have marijuana inside. And then there's one specific piece of evidence that they shared about her reckless behavior that is shocking. Mackenzie had posted a TikTok bragging that she is just one of those girls who can do a lot of drugs and not die.

And of course, these are the least severe of her charges, but they definitely paint a picture that Mackenzie had a history of driving under the influence and recklessly. And that was all the physical evidence they had to prove intent, but prosecutors also focused heavily on Mackenzie's lack of remorse and her actions in the days, weeks, and months following the crash. I mean, if she could have shown that she was sorry for what she did, she sure as hell shouldn't be let off easy. And what I'm going to tell you next about her actions may or may not surprise you.

One of the very first things that McKenzie asked officers in the hospital after the crash was if they could just suspend her license for 10 years. And keep in mind, that is before they determined that she did this on purpose. But considering she was driving recklessly and under the influence and killed two people, she thought all she deserved was having a suspended license to the prosecutors and everyone else. It just screams that this is someone who doesn't understand the gravity and the fault of their own actions.

And then McKenzie did something while still in the hospital after killing her boyfriend and friend. She is sitting there looking up modeling opportunities in Los Angeles. Basically what happened was a company called Vitale which is a LA based modeling agency commented on one of Mackenzie's posts on Instagram and both her and her mom replied saying she would love the opportunity to work with them. They said, we love this look at Kenzie Shurella.

Can we use this post on our website and emails? We'll make sure you're credited. Reply to this comment with hashtag community if so. Her mom Natalie responds at vitally hashtag community. Thank you for this amazing opportunity. Hello, this is her mother. She would love if you would use that. She's actually been trying to contact you guys for a PR email. It was a tragic accident and she

did not purposely mean put an end to any of her close friends life. This is just as painful as it is for her, as it is for everybody else, or maybe a little bit more painful. Then McKenzie responds at vitally, hashtag community. Thank you for the comment. I would love to work with you guys. I've been emailing you guys a lot, such a great opportunity. Thank you.

And all of that alone says so much. It is so shocking, so disgusting. I cannot imagine being in that state of mind focusing on a modeling opportunity after what you have just been through after taking people who you loved, taking their lives. I mean, it is just hard to even wrap your mind around those actions, but that's not even the last of it. McKenzie began posting comments on Dominic's obituary saying things like, I will never stop thinking about you.

I miss you, Nug. I feel like you're just going to walk in the door any second. I miss your laugh, your perfect smile. I feel your energy around me every day. I just wish it was physical. God, you are the last person to deserve this. You had such a perfect life ahead of you. I wish I told you all this more.

Please wait for me. The prosecution and family and others out there believe that these posts are insincere and just insensitive. More than anything, it felt like they were just performative and they did end up removing those comments. Lastly, the prosecution also argued that McKenzie seemed to get back to her normal life very quickly. Prosecutors pointed out that she attended a concert

in a wheelchair after being released from the hospital and that she dressed up as a corpse and went out on the night of Halloween. Yeah, that's right people. She dressed up as a corpse for Halloween after killing her boyfriend and friend. Like, I can't make this up. Now Mackenzie's mom did make a statement about these incidents,

sharing that her daughter had been grieving for several months, and how she encouraged her daughter to get outside and have a quote, moment of fun. But I don't know. It just doesn't sit right with me. So now that we've gone over most of the prosecution side of things, let's quickly talk about what the defense had to share. Now I do want to be clear that her defense attorneys weren't trying to absolve her of everything. I mean, there was no doubt that she was driving recklessly when the crash occurred, but they

were trying to prove that her actions were accidental. It was their position that several things could have led to the crash. They tried to argue that she could have been swirving to avoid something on the road or that maybe someone else in the car grabbed the steering wheel. Her aunt testified that McKenzie did in fact

have a good relationship with Dominic and that she'd never want him or anyone else to die. And defenses like this can be effective, saying that the defendant is not a perfect person, but by no means does that make them a murderer. However, there was just far too much evidence to convince the judge otherwise. Because after just four days of testimony, Judruso, which by the way, no relation to Dominic there, made her decision on August 14th, 19 year old Mackenzie Sherrilla, was found guilty on all 12 charges, including the charges of murder, Fologna's assault, aggravated

vehicular manslaughter, drug possession, and possessing criminal tools. Her driver's license is also suspended for life, which I feel is a very necessary punishment. And I have to say, in all my years reporting on crimes, I have never heard a judge speak with such precision in regards to their decision. This is a type of evidence you can never once see. You can never forget the visual or audio of this specific. their decision. The video clearly shows purpose and intent of the defendant. She chose the course of death and destruction that day. Exhibiting 802 crystallizes the deadly decision-making of the defendant. She morse from a responsible driver to literal hell on wheels,

and she makes her way down the street. Mackenzie alone made the decision to drive her car, to drive an obscure route, a route she visited a few days before. And a route not to simply take a bike home. Mackenzie alone chose the time to make the drive, really in the morning. When any reasonable person would expect a few people

would be nearby to wait to sit or offer life-saving assistance. She made these decisions despite knowing as any reasonable person would, the permission of death could have involved others, not even in the car with her, other people, other cars, the deserings. She had a mission and she executed it with precision.

The mission was death. McKenzie along decided to push the pedal to the floor and demand the ultimate speed of that vehicle to 90 to 100 miles per hour. She along decided what was to be. Mackenzie decided death was the ultimate goal that day. And she along made that decision for Dominic and Deb Young and she continuously asked for a marriage for her person.

Whether or not she intended to also kill herself as a matter of speculation, there were no relevance to the claim of the evidence in this case. The totality of the evidence clearly demonstrates that McKenzie Shurilla acted purposely and intentionally in the early morning hours of July 31, 2022, her purpose was to kill Dominic Russo in the current plan. No reasonable fact finder,

could view the totalitarian relevance, in this case, in common to any other conclusion. Her actions were controlled, methodical, deliberate, intentional, and hurtful. This was not repostraving, this was murder. The power and confidence in her words is, it's just amazing. And I hope that Dominic and Davions families

felt just a moment of peace knowing that she agreed with them. So now it was time for Mackenzie to be sentenced. With her charges, she was facing two separate sentences of 15 years to life, and what needed to be determined was whether they would be served one after the other or concurrently. If served concurrently or at the same time, Mackenzie would be eligible for parole in just 15 years. Obviously, this is what she and her attorneys had hoped for, and I did find it interesting that the victim's families somewhat differed in what they hoped would happen. Dominic's dad

Frank said that he didn't support the idea of Mackenzie going to prison for the rest of her life. He said that the whole thing has been horrible for everybody, but that it wouldn't make him feel better if the rest of her life was ruined. In a quote I found from NBC News, Frank said, she is just a little kid. She fucked up. She did a damn stupid thing, but now her parents are destroyed. Her family's destroyed too.

I wish there was a way she could get some kind of help, some kind of treatment. On the other hand, one of Davy on sisters spoke during the sentencing, and she said that she hoped McKenzie would receive the maximum sentence. She says that in the three years she's known McKenzie, she's always been the type of person

to take the easy way out. Hi, our honor. My name's divine Flanagan. Davion was my older brother. The passing of Davion Marquell Flanagan has been very difficult for me. We have gone through everything together since day one. Davian was a big brother to me and my younger sister, Dalia.

We all got adopted together in 2012. After Davian passed away, a lot of trauma and past pain has came into my life, causing it to be difficult to heal from this trauma event, or this traumatic event. Davian was not just a big brother to me, but a role model in many ways. He was the person that trusted the most because he made me feel safe. He taught me the importance of cherishing each moment and enjoying life. The memories we have are strong, but losing him has shown me the value of life. He has how God works in ways you can't understand but is worth it in the end

I don't want this pain for anyone else. I don't want people to have to go through this as an each year old I hate the fact that he has gone because someone decided to take his life Now that David on his gone, I feel stuck. I feel as if I can't move forward. I feel lost. I was the one who picked me up when I fell. He was my best friend and the only person that has stayed with me since I was born. I would like you to give McKenzie the longest possible sentence. I know her for about three years and as she's always taken the easy way out.

And that seems to be a big sentiment in this case that many people see McKenzie as someone who has always gotten off easy and has never been held accountable for her actions. McKenzie had a lot to say about her impending punishment on August 21st, the day of the sentencing. We were all friends and down with my soul. I wish I could take all your pain away and I'm so sorry. And to my family, thank you for the support and all the love you guys gave. Thank you for finding me. I love you all so much. Thank you.

And look, I have a lot of my own opinions about McKenzie and about Disapology. But I want to hear from you. What do you make of it? Do you think she's sincere? Her mother also spoke out and made many remarks about her daughter's innocence. She even brought up the whole Halloween incident. So take a listen and I want to know what you think of that as well. The Halloween. For three months after the accident, she would only wear his clothes, she would only eat the snacks he ate,

she would only listen to the music he wrote, okay? She was laying in bed for three months crying, there was a shrine of him next to her with photos and things that he liked and this flower that lights up that he got her because he wanted it to be fresh and alive forever, it's like a little buting the beast flower, okay, she's got this shrine of him next to her. So she was crying for three months. So her friends asked if she wanted to go out trick or treating her.

So Halloween, and it was at OU, and she didn't even want to go. She said, I don't know, should I go? She couldn't even walk yet barely. So I told her, I said, baby, please go. It's Halloween. You've been laying for three months crying, only listening to his music, please go. Have just a moment of fun, a moment of fun. So we told her to go. My husband drove her. I brought her back home.

She just needed a second of fun from losing her whole world, her whole world. So that was us. We told her to go. Lastly, Mackenzie's attorney spoke on her behalf, stating that in the years since she'd been in Juve leading up to the trial, she's been a model inmate and has exhibited remorse for her actions. All I can tell you is that from the moment I met this young lady here, she expressed sorrow. And I would say during the course of this trial, in the

initial emails and statements, she said, I'm sorry for what you did. The prosecutor has said that she hasn't accepted responsibility. Well, as you remember during the course of this trial, our defense was that it was a reckless homicide. That's taking responsibility for what she believes happened. So I would respectfully disagree with that. I've seen her express true remorse in the times that I met her in jail. And I don't think it's self-serving. I'm going to say as an officer of the court that I feel very confident saying that she has expressed true remorse.

So ultimately, another thing that you have to ask for is the likelihood of recidivism, et cetera. Based upon all of those things, I respectfully request that you run the sentences concurrently. Thank you. The families of the victims also spoke, and I have to applaud them. I know that cannot be easy,

and I'm happy they had the chance to speak their minds. Your honor, my name is Jamie Flanagan. I am the mother of the victim, Davian Flanagan. I want to share a small part of what we lost on 7-21, I'm sorry, 7-31, 2022. My son Davian is and always will be so much more than cargo. He was precious. He was an amazing soul with a heart of gold. He gave to the world what he wanted most in his own life. Love.

The kind of love that would rescue a friend in the middle of the night, no questions asked, the kind that would protect others and honor them. He made friends easily with his infectious smile. He was a gifted athlete. He had plans to go to Barber School and open his own shop. My son did not have a click of friends, but instead was a friend to all. He would go out of his way to show love and kindness

to others, including those that were often cast aside by society, the less fortunate, the developmentally challenged, the hurting, and the unvalued. Debian made sure that everyone that crossed his path knew that he truly saw them, that he valued them, and that they were worth his time. Davion and my kids have had more than their fair share of heartbreak, of hardships, and of loss.

Davion was adopted with his sisters from foster care. They are biological siblings. We are honored to be chosen or to have been chosen to be their parents. They are forever family. I am devastated by the loss of Davian. The world lost a truly special man. My girls lost their best friend, their protector, the one and only trusted family that has been by their side from day one. This alone, our heel alone understands the pain and loss that they have gone through and was always there for them. This fact alone

breaks my heart for my girls, for my family. So many dreams shattered a future stolen. We will never get to see the amazing man that he was surely to become. He, his life was precious. Like I said, he was so much more than cargo. I pray daily for strength and perseverance for myself and for my family. I also pray that McKenzie will find true and more

smart heart and true repentance. We thank all of those that work so hard to help us bring justice for our son. We are forever thankful. Davyam, we miss you terribly, but as Christians, we grieve with hope. We will make sure your memory lives on and we ache for the day that we are united again in eternity. Thank you. I'm Christine Russo, I'm Dominic's mother.

No one wanted this to be a murder. Horde punish Mackenzie Sharilla for this accident. But this was not a car accident. But this was not a car accident. The evidence and science proved that McKenzie-Schrill murdered my son Dominic as well as Davian. There's no fix put in in this case as the Scherillas would like to proclaim. I want to thank Strongesville Police Department and the State of Ohio for seeking the truth behind this crash. Thanks to them, we all know what happened

in that car that day. What we don't know is why. I wish I could change this every day. I lost three children in that crash. Now, the minute goes by each day that I don't think about my son, his well as Davian, my heart is forever broken. The cries heard from the shrilla family and friends after the verdict are nothing more

than a lack of remorse. The Kanzistur really had a choice. Dom and Davian did not. We are all left here to mourn. But what Dave, Dom and at Can Davian lost, can never be remedied in any way or by any particular sentence. And in the end, and I know a lot of you will have feelings about this, but McKenzie was given the opportunity for both of her sentences to run concurrently, meaning she will be eligible for parole in just 15 years.

The reality is, McKenzie made the choice to end the lives of two innocent young men, and no sentence has gonna bring them back. It is just absolutely heart-wrenching to think about how unnecessary all of this was and how two young men who had their whole lives ahead of them, Dominic and Davian, they had dreams they wanted to accomplish, their families had high hopes of seeing them succeed in their futures and all of that was ripped away from them

and they have to deal with the consequences of Mackenzie Sharilla's selfish actions. Lastly, before I go, I did want to let you know that Davian's family has so generously started a scholarship fund in his honor to help kids like Davian who want to go to barber school. This is absolutely something that Davian would have wanted and it really amazes me how in such a hard time his parents are able to dedicate their time to helping others. So I will have a link where you can donate in the description box and if you're able to, I would love if you guys gave them some support.

I truly just feel so sorry for both of them and for their families, it's just unbelievably sad. That is gonna be it for me today guys. Thank you for joining me for another episode. And make sure you follow the show on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. It really does help me out. If you want to watch the video version of this show, you can find it on my YouTube channel, which will be linked,

or you can just search Kendall Ray. I will be back with another episode soon, but until then, stay safe out there. there.