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What did Mackenzie Shirilla tell Dominic Russo's mother after the fatal crash? Chilling texts resurface
A resurfaced text message, thousands of newly released texts have brought renewed attention to Mackenzie Shirilla's murder case.
Nearly two years after one of America's most talked-about criminal cases, Mackenzie Shirilla, who is now 21, is back in the spotlight and this time, it is her own words driving the conversation.
The text to Dominic Russo's mother that went viral
A text message Shirilla allegedly sent to Dominic Russo's mother, Christine Russo, after the fatal July 2022 crash that killed Dominic and their friend Davion Flanagan has become the latest focus of public scrutiny.
The message, which was included in a 2024 Ohio Court of Appeals opinion, has been circulating widely on social media. In which, Shirilla reportedly wrote: “I remember turning onto the street, and then my vision fades to black.”
She also allegedly said she could not remember the events leading up to the crash, suggested that trauma might explain the memory gap, referenced discussions with a therapist and raised the possibility of using hypnosis to recover her memory, per the Sunday Guardian.
Additionally, Shirilla's lawyers 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 lose consciousness has 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 question that Mackenzie Shirilla is guilty of murder. We are confident that any court that reviews this case will come to the same conclusion," per Fox News.
What are the 32,000 newly released text messages
Following the release of Netflix's documentary series The Crash on May 15, the Strongsville Police Department released roughly 32,000 text messages exchanged between Shirilla and Russo, along with recorded jail calls made after her conviction.
The texts paint a complicated picture of the couple's relationship. In a January 2020 message, Shirilla told Russo she was “gonna kill someone” because she needed a ride and he could not pick her up, per Fox 8. Later that same day, she wrote, “I just want to bang my head on the wall till I'm dead.” In another message, she told Russo to “treat the girl who would die for you a little better."
In March 2022, just months before the crash, Russo allegedly texted that Shirilla “hit me” and “tried to throw a rock at me.” That same month, he also warned her she was “driving like a maniac."
The texts also show that Shirilla had complained to Russo about blackouts years before the crash and again just weeks before it. In a July 2, 2022 message which is less than a month before the fatal crash, she described what she called her “worst black out,” according to Fox News.
The released records also include jail calls recorded after Shirilla's August 2023 conviction. In one conversation with her mother Natalie, Shirilla reacted emotionally to the verdict while discussing plans to appeal. “I don't want you guys to go broke fighting for me for a lost cause,” she said. Her mother replied, “It's not a lost cause."
Where the case stands now
Shirilla, now 21, is serving two concurrent prison terms of 15 years to life after being convicted in August 2023 of murder, aggravated vehicular homicide and related charges. She will not be eligible for parole until 2037.
Prosecutors argued at trial that Shirilla deliberately drove her Toyota Camry into a brick building in Strongsville, Ohio, on July 31, 2022 to end her toxic relationship with Russo. Before delivering her verdict, 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 wept in court. “She had a mission, and she executed it with precision. The mission was death,” per Fox News.
