Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Jasmine Fernández

The convicted ‘hell on wheels’ killer is making one last bid for freedom

  • Mackenzie Shirilla, serving a life sentence for a fatal car crash, has filed a federal habeas corpus petition arguing her conviction and imprisonment violated her constitutional rights.
  • Shirilla's new legal team contends her original attorneys provided ineffective assistance and withheld crucial evidence, including medical records suggesting a condition causing sudden loss of consciousness.
  • The petition also claims her case was improperly transferred from juvenile to adult court due to insufficient evidence of intent, and that police influenced the coroner to change the manner of death to homicide.
  • Shirilla's attorneys assert she was denied her Sixth Amendment right to confront witnesses, as a deputy medical examiner testified instead of the pathologists who performed the autopsies.
  • Her federal filing seeks to overturn her murder conviction and secure a new trial, following unsuccessful state-level appeals, with the case now assigned to U.S. District Judge John Adams.

IN FULL

Mackenzie Shirilla is now arguing that her trial for killing two friends in crash violated her constitutional rights

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.