Chris Cuomo Says Mackenzie Shirilla’s Defense Made ‘Mistakes’ During Trial

NewsNation's Chris Cuomo argued that the defense team for Mackenzie Shirilla, who was found guilty in connection to a car crash that killed her boyfriend and friend, made mistakes during her trial. Appearing on the "Drop Dead Serious with Ashleigh Banfield" podcast, Cuomo stated that the lawyers failed to effectively frame the case around data, forensics, and context. He specifically criticized the defense for not providing enough context about the volatile relationship between Shirilla and her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, and for not presenting evidence of mental instability on both sides. Cuomo also called the decision to waive a jury trial in favor of a bench trial a "bad decision." While Cuomo believes Shirilla is guilty of the crash, he disagreed with the prosecution's theory that it was a murder-suicide attempt, arguing there was insufficient evidence that she intended to die. He stated, "If she's not suicidal and wasn't suicidal, then how did she intend to kill herself and them?" Cuomo said he believes her crime is more aligned with manslaughter than murder, as he does not believe prosecutors proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Shirilla intended to die. Shirilla was found guilty of 12 felony charges, including four counts of murder, and is now serving a prison sentence.