The father of Mackenzie Shirilla, who is serving a murder sentence, will not be returning to his teaching role after previously being placed on leave.
Shirilla was found guilty of murdering her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, and their friend, Davion Flanagan, after crashing her car into a brick building at around 100mph.
The 21-year-old is now serving two life sentences and will first be eligible for parole after 15 years.
After the sentencing, Netflix released a documentary about the incident, The Crash, which featured an interview with her father, Steve Shirilla.
Before the fatal crash, Steve Shirilla worked as an art and digital media teacher at Mary Queen of Peace School in Cleveland. He stepped away from the post following the tragedy.
The school has now confirmed that he will not be resuming his role.
In a statement to FOX News, a spokesperson said: “Catholic school personnel decisions are the purview of each school in the Diocese of Cleveland. Due to privacy considerations, neither the schools nor the Diocese ordinarily discuss personnel issues publicly.
“However, we can confirm that Mr. Steve Shirilla will not be returning to Mary Queen of Peace School.”
Steve Shirilla has also suggested in past comments that he did not intend to go back to the school.
Speaking to TMZ, he said: “I wouldn’t re-sign a contract with them for the simple fact of how they handled this situation… the school and the diocese showed their true colors.”
Public reaction intensified after the documentary’s release, with some viewers criticizing Mackenzie’s parents for what they felt was a lack of remorse and for backing their daughter amid allegations of bullying.
He also addressed his daughter’s cannabis use, saying: “I don’t have a problem with her smoking dope. If you’re going to smoke a drug, that’s the one I believe you should take.”
During the legal proceedings, a toxicology report indicated the presence of an active ingredient of cannabis in Shirilla’s system at the time of the crash, though prosecutors did not argue it was the direct cause.
Steve Shirilla has repeatedly defended his daughter in public statements, including telling WKYC last year: “Show me one piece of evidence that says she did this on purpose. Then she’s right where she belongs and she’s guilty of it. But there isn’t any.”
Bodycam footage has also circulated online showing him confronting officers after her arrest, in which he calls his daughter ‘dumb’ while repeatedly insisting police cannot question her.