Mother Steps In: Mackenzie Shirilla claimed in a j@il phone call that someone was trying to destroy her, and her mother immediately revealed pr0of to protect her
Prosecutors said the now 21-year-old intentionally caused the nearly 100 mph car crash that killed her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, and friend, Davion Flanagan, in July 2022
A jail call newly obtained by PEOPLE reveals that Mackenzie Shirilla, convicted of murder in the 2022 deaths of her boyfriend and friend, expressed concern over the possibility of receiving the death penalty.
The undated call was recorded while the now-21-year-old was being held at Ohio’s Cuyahoga County Jail before her August 2023 transfer to the Ohio Reformatory for Women, where she is serving two concurrent prison sentences of 15 years to life.
During the conversation, Shirilla speaks with her mother, Natalie Shirilla, about life behind bars after her conviction as she awaited sentencing.
“We’ll see because they’re just trying to f— me,” she says of prosecutors, after earlier expressing fears that she would never get out of prison or have a family.
“I’m just scared they’re gonna be like, you have the death penalty or you’re going to life for 40 years,” she adds.
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Mackenzie Shirilla in Netflix’s ‘The Crash’; Shirilla’s mugshot.
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Her mother responds by encouraging her to stay focused on the present.
“Well let us, let us fight, let us do what we’re doing, OK? Just living right now that’s what I want you to do. Focus on right now because what lives in the future, do you remember?” Natalie says.
“I don’t know,” Mackenzie replies.
“Anxiety and fear. OK, so stay grounded,” her mother says.
Later in the conversation, Natalie urges Mackenzie to prepare for the possibility of a harsh sentence while reassuring her that the family is continuing to support her from the outside.
“Just prepare for crazy sentencing though, OK?” Natalie says. “We’re fighting out here.”
During Mackenzie’s 2023 bench trial, prosecutors argued that she intentionally crashed her Toyota Camry into a brick wall in Strongsville, Ohio, at nearly 100 mph after her relationship with her boyfriend, 20-year-old Dominic Russo, had become strained.
The couple’s friend, 19-year-old Davion Flanagan, was in the back seat at the time. He and Russo, who was in the front passenger seat, both died as a result of the crash, while Mackenzie suffered several injuries.
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Prosecutors also pointed to vehicle data presented in court showing that the accelerator was fully pressed down and the brake was not used in the nearly five seconds before impact.
Shirilla was 17 at the time of the crash and was ultimately tried as an adult. She has maintained that she has no memory of the moments leading up to the crash, saying she passed out due to postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a chronic medical condition. However, no medical records or expert testimony confirming such a diagnosis were presented at trial.
Her multiple appeals have been denied, and she is eligible for parole in 2037. Her case has also been revisited in multiple true crime documentaries, including Netflix’s The Crash, which was released on May 15.
