Mackenzie Cirilla, known for her reckless driving and the deadly crash dubbed the ‘Hell on Wheels’ incident, has had her request for a new trial denied. The reason? Her lawyer didn’t respond quickly enough, resulting in her petition being filed a day late.
A ruling from the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals reaffirmed a previous decision from a lower court, rejecting Cirilla’s appeal. The crash occurred in a suburb of Cleveland, where Cirilla intentionally drove her car into a wall, leading to the deaths of her boyfriend, Dominick Russo, who was 20, and a friend, Davion Flanagan, aged 19.
It was noted that the claims were filed 366 days after the necessary records were submitted, which the court pointed out was a day too late, affecting the court’s authority to review the case.
The appeals court, in its statement, emphasized that “filing a post-conviction petition is a jurisdictional act,” meaning strict deadlines must be adhered to for claims to be considered.
During the incident, all three were reportedly high, and the vehicle subsequently crashed into a warehouse at an alarming speed of 160 mph, killing both passengers instantly. Remarkably, Cirilla survived the crash but was discovered unconscious, her foot still on the gas, and wearing Prada slippers.
Before her arrest, she shockingly shared a TikTok post claiming, “I’m just one of those girls who can overdose on drugs and still not die.”
In 2023, Cirilla was sentenced for multiple charges, including aggravated vehicular homicide, and broke down in court as the judge labeled her actions as “literal hell.” Judge Nancy Margaret Russo expressed severe disapproval, stating, “This is not reckless driving, this is murder. She had a mission and she carried it out with precision. That decision was deadly.”
Cirilla received a sentence of 15 years to life in prison, yet her lawyers filed their motion for a new trial a day past the deadline set by Ohio law.
The same judge, Russo, who oversaw the initial non-jury trial in May, deemed the petition ineffective. The Court of Appeals has now upheld that earlier ruling.
