'Hell of Wheels' teen Mackenzie Shirilla files for appeal after claiming mystery condition caused 100mph crash that killed boyfriend and friend

Published: 23:32, 28 May 2026 | Updated: 23:57, 28 May 2026 'Hell on Wheels' driver Mackenzie Shirilla has filed an appeal of her conviction for murdering her boyfriend and their friend when she slammed her vehicle into a building at 100mph in 2022. Shirilla has repeatedly maintained her innocence in the crash that claimed the lives of her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, 20, and their friend, Davion Flanagan, 19. Her lawyers now claim 'there is medical evidence' she 'suffered from a pre-existing medical condition that could have caused her to black out while driving' in their appeal asking the Ohio Supreme Court to take another look at her conviction. The lawyers further say that the attorney who represented her at her trial in 2023 did not properly investigate the claim she suffered from blackouts as a result of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, also referred to as POTS. Her appeal had previously been denied after her lawyers missed the filing deadline by just one day, but court records show her attorneys re-filed the appeal in April. They argue that the clock should have been started later because a separate transcript was filed weeks after the main trial record, and assert that Shirilla would have been acquitted if she had received effective legal aid at her first trial.  But the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office says the appeal should be thrown out.  'We are confident that any court that reviews this case will come to the same conclusion,' it said in a statement to WOIO.  The Ohio Supreme Court has not yet decided whether it will hear Shirilla's appeal. If it does, justices would have the option to affirm her conviction, reverse it or send it back to a lower court. 'Hell on Wheels' driver Mackenzie Shirilla has repeatedly maintained her innocence in the crash that claimed the lives of her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, 20, and their friend, Davion Flanagan, 19 The trial heard she wanted to kill Dominic, left, to bring an end to their tumultuous relationship. Davion, a friend of Dominic, right, was in the wrong place at the wrong time Prosecutors have argued that Shirilla, who was just 17 at the time of the crash, had previously threatened to kill her boyfriend. Then, on the night of the deadly crash on July 31, 2022, surveillance footage showed how she failed to take her foot off the gas as her Toyota Camry smashed through a business sign and slammed into the side of the Plidco Building.  'This was not reckless driving - this was murder,' a judge concluded when delivering her verdict in 2023. 'She had a mission, and she executed it with precision. The decision was death.'  The judge - who dubbed Shirilla 'Hell on Wheels' - described her actions as 'controlled, methodical, deliberate, intentional, and purposeful,' ruling that she intended to kill the young men. The teenager was then convicted on multiple counts, including aggravated vehicular homicide and felonious assault, and was sentenced to serve 15 years to life behind bars at the Ohio Reformatory for Women. Her case has drawn national attention, fueled in part by disturbing details about Shirilla's behavior before the crash. It has come back into the spotlight following the release of the documentary The Crash, streaming on Netflix.  When authorities arrived on the scene of the crash on July 31, 2022, they found Shirilla's Toyota Camry smashed in half But after Shirilla's appeal for a new trial was denied in March, the now-21-year-old will not face the possibility of parole until 2037. This is a breaking news story and will be updated.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.