Mackenzie Shirilla Files Federal Habeas Corpus Petition Challenging 2023 Murder Convictions

Convicted murderer Mackenzie Shirilla has taken her legal challenge to federal court, filing a habeas corpus petition arguing her trial rights were violated.

Mackenzie Shirilla, convicted of murder in 2023 for a car crash that killed her boyfriend and his friend, has escalated her legal fight by filing a writ of habeas corpus in federal court. Her legal team filed the petition as of late July 2025, after her challenge apparently failed to succeed at the Ohio Supreme Court level. The petition argues that her constitutional rights were violated during the original trial, specifically citing the alleged improper exclusion of key defense evidence. Shirilla was convicted in a bench trial in 2023 in Ohio, where a judge found she had intentionally driven her car into a building at high speed, killing her boyfriend Dominic Russo and his friend Davion Flanagan. The case drew widespread attention and was later the subject of a Netflix documentary, 'The Crash,' set for release in 2026. A federal habeas corpus petition is a legal mechanism that allows a convicted person to argue in federal court that their imprisonment violates the U.S. Constitution. The filing moves Shirilla's challenge out of Ohio's state court system and into the federal judiciary.

Why it matters

The federal petition represents a significant escalation in Shirilla's legal battle and could potentially result in a new trial if a federal court finds her constitutional rights were violated. The case has drawn national attention, and a federal ruling could have broader implications for how evidentiary decisions in state trials are reviewed.

What's next

A federal court will now review the habeas corpus petition to determine whether Shirilla's constitutional claims have merit and whether a new trial should be ordered.

Key facts

Bias & framing notes

Both TMZ and Us Magazine report the same core fact — a federal habeas corpus filing — and agree on the basic grounds of the petition. TMZ references obtaining the actual federal petition document, lending some additional credibility. Neither outlet provides significant detail on the prosecution's response or the specific constitutional arguments beyond the exclusion-of-evidence claim. Coverage is sympathetic to Shirilla's legal framing with no counterpoint from prosecutors.

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