Davion Flanagan.Photo:Scott Flanagan
Scott Flanagan
The parents ofDavion Flanaganhave launched a fundraiser with the goal of helping others attend barber school in honor of their late son, who had dreams to become a barber and one day open up his own barber shop.
The 19-year-old was tragically killed along with his friend Dominic Russo, 20, in a Strongsville, Ohio, car crash on July 31, 2022.
Since then, Mackenzie Shirilla, 19, has been convicted of murder, aggravated vehicular homicide, felonious assault, drug possession and other crash-related offenses. She was sentenced on Aug. 21 to two concurrent 15-year-to-life terms, according toNBC News.
During the trial, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Nancy Margaret Russo described Shirilla as “hell on wheels,” and ruled she intentionally drove her car into a brick building at 100 mph to kill her boyfriend, Russo. His friend Davion, who was a backseat passenger, also died as a result of the crash, per reports fromCleveland.comandWKYC.
“[Shirilla] gave [Davion] and his life and his value no more consideration than a piece of flipping luggage in the backseat,” Davion’s mother, Jaime Flanagan, tells PEOPLE. “We’re trying to handle it with grace though.”
Shirilla will only be eligible for parole in 15 years, and was credited for almost a year of time served, NBC News reported. Her driver’s license is also permanently suspended.
“That night, that day with Mackenzie Shirilla, that was just a tiny little sliver out of his life,” the mother notes.
“The amount of good that could be done in Davion’s name and the impact that he could still have on the world is something that gives us some joy and hope in the middle of all of this sadness and devastation,” Jaime says.
Speaking of the campaign with PEOPLE, Scott adds: “And if we could help one or several or many of those people to a better, brighter future in our son’s name and our son’s honor, then that truly is a blessing, and we’re so happy to be involved with it.”
Jaime (left) and Scott (center) with son Davion (right), and daughters Davyne (bottom left) and Dalia (bottom right).Scott Flanagan
“He showered love on people because I truly think that in his heart, that’s what he wanted for himself as well,” Scott says.
Jaime tells PEOPLE that the outpouring of support from the community has been “phenomenal,” and recalls Davion’s wake when hundreds of friends and neighbors waited more than four hours just to share their memories of her son.
“It was absolutely amazing,” Scott adds.
Described as an talented athlete, Davion played football at Strongsville High School, where he was the starting running back. He also worked as a youth swim coach. Though, he never let popularity get to his head.
“He was friends with everyone at school,” Scott says. “There wasn’t a clique that he belonged to. He just gave everyone as much love as he could, and really just let them be heard and let them feel like they were noticed.”
Scott thinks back to when his son befriended a classmate who had trouble with socialization.
“After graduation, every time their son called Davion to talk to him, our son picked up. He never let it go to voicemail. He never texted him back and said, “Too busy.” He always made time for this young man to feel included and wanted and appreciated,” Scott tells PEOPLE. “And that’s absolutely the heart of Davion.”
Davion Flanagan.Jardine Funeral Home
Jardine Funeral Home
Davion soon delved into his artistic side and found a passion for cutting his own hair, which he then began to do for his teammates and coach.
But after suffering injuries that stopped him from continuing to play football, Davion’s dream changed.
“He was working full-time after finishing high school to save money and was in the process of applying to Allstate Hairstyling & Barber College in Cleveland, OH with the goal of attending the Fall 2023 barber program,” the fundraiser states.
Now, about three weeks after Shirilla’s sentencing, the Flanagans are trying to move forward and heal, a process they say hasn’t been easy.
“I think that when it first came down to us and we heard the judge’s verdict, we were a little bit surprised,” Scott says. “There were two people in that car. And to have the sentences going concurrently seemed to take away from the two individual lives. I mean, Dominic was his own fantastic, wonderful person, and so was our son. And so we were a little bit, I think it’s fair to say we were shocked a little bit and disappointed.”
Davion’s parents have since accepted Shirilla’s sentence and hope she will learn something from her time behind bars.
“The best possible outcome that could come from this is Mackenzie having a change of heart in prison and becoming the best version of herself and leading a productive life when she does get out,” Scott tells PEOPLE. “That’s the best thing that could happen from our perspective.”
“But it’s out of our hands,” Jaime adds.
source: people.com
