Nearly two years after one of America’s most high-profile criminal cases, Mackenzie Shirilla, The now 21-year-old is back in the headlines and this time, it’s her own words that are driving the conversation.
Dominic Russo’s message to his mother went viral
A text message allegedly sent by Shirilla to Dominic Russo’s mother Christine Russo following the fatal July 2022 crash that killed Dominic and his friend Davian Flanagan has become the latest focus of public scrutiny.
The message, which was included in a 2024 Ohio Court of Appeals opinion, is circulating widely on social media. In which, Shirilla reportedly wrote: “I remember turning onto the road, and then my vision became blurry.”
She also reportedly said she could not remember the events leading up to the accident, suggested trauma could explain the memory gap, referenced discussions with a therapist and raised the possibility of using hypnosis to recover her memory, according to the Sunday Guardian.
Additionally, Shirilla’s attorneys are also asking the Ohio Supreme Court to review her case, arguing that her trial attorneys did not fully investigate whether POTS, a condition that can cause a person to faint, played a role in the crash.
However, prosecutors strongly disagree. In a May 27 statement, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office said: “Prosecutor O’Malley believes without a doubt that McKenzie Shirilla is guilty of murder. We are confident that any court reviewing this case will reach the same conclusion,” according to Fox News.
Also read: Mackenzie Shirilla’s terrifying allegations against boyfriend after fatal crash emerge: ‘You tried to kill me’
What are the 32,000 newly released text messages?
Following the release of the Netflix documentary series The Crash on May 15, the Strongsville Police Department released approximately 32,000 text messages exchanged between Shirilla and Russo, as well as recorded jail calls made after his sentencing.
The texts paint a complex picture of the couple’s relationship. In a January 2020 message, Shirilla told Russo she was “going to kill someone” because she needed a ride and he couldn’t take her. fox 8. Later the same day, she wrote, “I want to bang my head against the wall until I die.” In another message, she told Rousseau to “treat a girl a little better who would die for you.”
In March 2022, a few months before the crash, Russo allegedly messaged that Shirilla “hit me” and “tried to throw rocks at me.” That same month, he also warned her that she was “driving like crazy.”
The texts also reveal that Shirilla had complained to Russo about the blackout years before the accident and again a few weeks before. According to Fox News, in a message dated July 2, 2022, which is less than a month before the fatal crash, she described what she called her “worst blackout.”
The released records also include jail calls recorded after Shirilla’s August 2023 sentencing. In a conversation with her mother Natalie, Shirilla reacted emotionally to the verdict, discussing plans to appeal. She said, “I don’t want you guys to waste fighting a lost cause for me.” His mother replied, “It’s not a lost cause.”
Also read: Ex-girlfriend reveals Mackenzie Shirilla’s creepy prison nickname after fatal crash case; ‘She is not a good person’
where does the matter stand now
Shirilla, now 21, is serving two concurrent prison terms of 15 years to life after pleading guilty in August 2023 to murder, aggravated vehicular manslaughter and related charges. She will not be eligible for parole until 2037.
Prosecutors argued at trial that Schirilla intentionally drove her Toyota Camry into a brick building in Strongsville, Ohio, on July 31, 2022, in order to end her toxic relationship with Russo. Before handing down her sentence, Cuyahoga County Judge Nancy Margaret Russo said Shirilla was on a “mission.”
“This was not reckless driving. This was murder,” the judge said as Shirilla cried in court. According to Fox News, “He had a mission, and he accomplished it with precision. The mission was death.”