Mackenzie Shirilla had been back in the headlines after former inmate Mary Katherine Crowder claimed the convicted “hell on wheels” driver looked and behaved nothing like the remorseful person viewers saw in Netflix’s The Crash.
The 21-year-old had been serving 15 years to life after she was convicted in the 2022 crash that claimed the lives of her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, and his friend, Davion Flanagan.
Highlights
- Former inmate Mary Katherine Crowder claimed Mackenzie Shirilla acted like the "Regina George" or "Mean Girl" of her prison.
- Crowder alleged that Shirilla treated the facility like a popularity contest.
- Shirilla is currently serving a sentence of 15 years to life for the 2022 high-speed car crash that took the life of her boyfriend and his friend.
“When she walked out in the documentary, my jaw literally dropped,” Crowder told The Post.
“Her demeanor and the way that she looked were nothing like the person I was in there with.”
A former inmate claimed Mackenzie Shirilla treated prison like a popularity contest in The Crash
Image credits: Netflix/Tudum
The latest attention surrounding Shirilla came after Mary Katherine Crowder, who spent time with the convict inside the Ohio Reformatory for Women in 2024, made shocking claims.
Crowder alleged Shirilla behaved very differently from the emotional image viewers saw in The Crash, where she expressed remorse and insisted she was “not a monster.”
According to Crowder, Shirilla quickly became known throughout the prison and seemed to enjoy the attention surrounding the case.
“Everyone knew why she was there,” Crowder said. “She walked around like she was this famous person within prison.”
Image credits: mackenzieshirilla/Instagram
She also alleged that Shirilla always appeared well-put-together and paid close attention to her appearance.
“She always had makeup done, hair done, her clothes were altered to fit her body tighter,” Crowder said.
“She definitely carried herself like she was the Regina George of prison … she was very much like an ‘It girl.’”
Crowder further noted Shirilla spent much of her time laughing and socializing with younger inmates.
“She was always laughing, always smiling and happy,” Crowder said. “Never one time did I see Mackenzie cry.”
Image credits: Nichole Russo/Facebook / Jardine Funeral Home
In viral TikTok videos, Crowder alleged that Shirilla sold customized shoes and jewelry to inmates and acted like prison life had little effect on her.
“She walked around like she thinks she's gonna get out.”
The former inmate also made claims about Shirilla having relationships with female inmates and said she had been sent to solitary confinement over prison rule violations.
She additionally alleged Shirilla received financial support from family and outside contacts for clothing, makeup, and commissary purchases.
Shirilla’s attorney had not publicly responded to those allegations.
While several people discovered Shirilla through a Netflix documentary, the case first shocked people after she drove into a warehouse wall at 100 mph
Image credits: Ohio Reformatory for Women
The incident happened on July 31, 2022, when Shirilla was driving her Toyota Camry in Strongsville, Ohio.
Her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, 20 years old at the time, sat beside her in the passenger seat while friend Dominic Flanagan, 19, rode in the back.
According to prosecutors, the three had been driving around and using marijuana.
Security footage later showed Shirilla rapidly accelerating and reaching speeds close to 100 mph before crashing into a brick warehouse wall at around 6:15 a.m.
Dominic and Davion passed away at the scene.
Authorities later found her unconscious with fuzzy Prada slippers still pressed against the accelerator, per Cleveland.com.
Image credits: mackenzieshirilla/Instagram
Prosecutors argued the crash was intentional and linked it to a toxic relationship between her and Dominic that had worsened in the weeks before the incident.
Assistant prosecutor Tim Troup argued in court that Davion simply became another victim of the situation.
“Davion was just cargo,” he said.
Image credits: mackenzieshirilla/Instagram
“Whatever she had in for Dominic, [Flanagan] was just along with his friend and got sucked into a toxic relationship and just got in the wrong seat that night.”
Investigators also pointed to social media videos and comments Shirilla allegedly made before the crash, including threats involving Dominic’s car. Prosecutors argued those statements showed intent.
Meanwhile, defense attorney Jim McDonnell argued investigators could never truly know what happened inside the vehicle.
“We are really never going to know what happened in that car,” he said.
After Shirilla was found guilty, the judge called her “literal hell on wheels” as she broke down in court
Image credits: mackenzieshirilla/Instagram
In August 2023, Cuyahoga County Judge Nancy Margaret Russo found Shirilla guilty on four counts of felonious a**ault and two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide and delivered remarks that later spread widely online.
“This was not reckless driving — this was m*rder,” Russo said in court. “She had a mission, and she executed it with precision. The decision was d*ath.”
“She morphs from a responsible driver to literal hell on wheels as she makes her way down the street,” she said.
“Mackenzie alone made the decision to drive the car, to drive an obscure route, a route she visited a few days before, and a route not routinely taken by her.”
Shirilla cried in court as the sentence was read.
Meanwhile, victims’ families said they finally felt justice had been served.
“We are just thankful that we feel justice was served today,” Davion Flanagan’s mother, Jaime, said afterward.
“There’s no winners here.”
While Shirilla later sought a new trial, the court rejected the request because the paperwork was filed one day after the deadline.
"I want to smack that look off her face," wrote one netizen
