Mackenzie Shirilla's prison calls with mom reveal teen's demands in jail
Topics: Mackenzie Shirilla, Film and TV, True crime, Crime
Mia Williams
Featured Image Credit: Netflix
Topics: Mackenzie Shirilla, Film and TV, True crime, Crime
Mackenzie Shirilla's phone calls to her mom from prison reveal the killer's fame-hungry demands before being sentenced to life behind bars.
The young woman from Ohio was just 17 years old when she purposely smashed her vehicle at 100mph into a brick wall in 2022, killing her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, 20, and their friend, Davion Flanagan, 19, who were sat in the passenger seats.
While Shirilla claims that she had suffered a medical emergency behind the wheel that led to the fatal crash, a judge ruled that it was in fact 'controlled, methodical, deliberate, intentional, and purposeful' murder, and was consequently sentenced to two concurrent life sentences.
When delivering the verdict in court in 2023, the judge stated: "This was not reckless driving - this was murder.
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"She had a mission, and she executed it with precision. The decision was death."
Her case quickly drew national interest, something which Shirilla picked up on while she was detained in Cuyahoga County Jail, Cleveland, prior to the guilty verdict.
During that time, she made multiple phone calls to her mother, in which she appeared to be far more concerned with her image than the serious charges she was due to be facing.
"I really want my iPad," she said in one phone call, which has been obtained by the US Sun.
The teenager begged: "Can you call and ask? Please, please."
When her mother informed her that they had covered the case on the Today Show, Shirilla responded: "What? What did they say about me?"
In a later exchange, Shirilla discussed using her infamy as the catalyst for a career in Hollywood.
"Remember that one guy who got arrested for murder, and he became like a model because he was just like... everyone was like loving his mugshot?" she asked her mother.
She added: "He's an actor and s**t now. I watched a movie with him in it."
The now 21-year-old even requested that her mother changed her Instagram bio while she was in custody to add 'hashtag Free Kenzie' and 'hashtag innocent'.
In one call, the pair laughed together as Shirilla suggested that her case could be picked up by Kim Kardashian.
Her mom added: "That's what I'm saying, I'm hoping. We're getting there. I was gonna do this anyway, so this is great...craziness, baby girl."
A new Netflix documentary titled The Crash revisits the infamous case which divided the nation, in which Shirilla speaks out publicly for the first time since her conviction.