Legal Battle Begins: Mackenzie Shirilla’s boyfriend’s family made their first decisive move after learning she brought in a top U.S. attorney

The judge said Shirilla made a calculated decision to take that obscure route out of her routine, at a time when not many people would be around.

Russo said: “She had a mission, and she executed it with precision. The mission was death.”

One week later, on Aug. 21, 2023, Shirilla was sentenced to life in prison, with first eligibility for parole after 15 years.

She spoke in court before her sentencing, apologizing and calling Russo her “soul mate.”

“The families of Dominic and Davion, I’m so deeply sorry. I hope one day you can see I would never let this happen or do it on purpose. I wish I could remember what happened,” she said, crying.

Where is she today?

Shirilla is 22 and is housed at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville, about 27 miles northwest of Columbus.

She won’t be eligible for parole until Oct. 29, 2037.

Shirilla’s legal camp filed an appeal in September 2023, but the Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals upheld her conviction.

In October 2024, her attorneys filed a post-conviction relief petition, which was also denied on the basis that it was filed after the statutory deadline.

In March, the Eighth District Court of Appeals affirmed the ruling denying the 2024 petition. In May 2025, the Supreme Court of Ohio declined to review the appeal.

Shirilla’s legal team has continued to pursue efforts related to her appeal.

NBC News has reached out to her attorney for comment.

Family maintains Shirilla is innocent

Shirilla’s parents stand by her innocence and say they won’t stop fighting for her release.

“We believe she’s been falsely accused of something. We believe there’s no evidence. There’s no evidence that you can show me that says prior calculation, intent, there’s nothing,” Steve Shirilla told NBC News on Thursday. “I don’t know how it left the juvenile court. There’s zero evidence. All the prosecution has that’s factual is five seconds of black box information.”

He said she should have been charged with vehicular homicide, if anything.

Natalie Shirilla also believes that her daughter didn’t get a fair trial and that her first lawyer didn’t use much of the information the family turned in.

“Look at the evidence critically and objectively, and you will see there is no evidence of intent. She never threatened his life, his physical life,” she said.

They remain determined in appealing her case.

“I will never, ever, never stop,” Natalie said. “There is no expiration on truth.”

“Mackenzie would never hurt them or anybody she loves,” she added. “She stands up for people that are in trouble or struggling. That’s who she is.”

Victims’ families grapple with loss

The Russo and Flanagan families are still grappling with the devastating loss of their loved ones.

Davion Flanagan was a football player, aspiring barber and loving big brother, according to a fundraiser page by his family. The family has started a memorial barber school scholarship fund in his honor.

Dominic Russo was one of seven siblings and loved playing basketball. He was passionate about fashion and had plans to open his own clothing line, family members have told NBC News.

Both families have said the appeals process has been painful.

“Another day, another hearing. This time with three appellate judges deciding whether Mackenzie deserves post-conviction relief,” Scott Flanagan, Davion’s father, wrote on Facebook in January.

“It seriously never ends. How many chances does she get when our son and Dominic didn’t get a single one? It’s like a scab being constantly ripped off when all we want to do is heal the loss of our son and forget all about the horrible person who ended his life,” he added.