Mackenzie Shirilla's mom details daughter's 'nightmare' life behind bars

The mother of convicted murderer MacKenzie Shirilla has lifted the lid on her daughter's life behind bars, saying she's 'literally trapped in a nightmare'.

Shirilla was convicted of the murders of her boyfriend Dominic Russo, 20, and their friend, Davion Flanagan, 19, after driving her car into a wall at 100mph when she was just 17-years-old in 2022.

This was despite Shirilla and her defence team claiming she suffered a medical episode while driving the car, leading to the crash. This was ultimately rejected by a judge in 2023, who found that the crash had been 'controlled, methodical, deliberate, intentional, and purposeful'.

Shirilla was handed two concurrent life sentences for the murders.

The case has recently been the subject of a new documentary on Netflix, The Crash, and since her conviction, Shirilla has tried unsuccessfully three times to appeal her case.

While her daughter is in prison, Shrilla's mom Natalie has been vocal about her daughter's case, with her recently speaking about how she's coping behind bars on Chris Cuomo's podcast Cuomo Crime Time.

Mackenzie Shirilla was convicted of the murders of Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan after she crashed her car at 100mph in 2022, killing the two (Netflix)

In the interview on the June 24 episode, Natalie cemented her previous claims that her daughter is innocent, as well as revealing how she is having a hard time in prison.

'All she knows is that the boyfriend that she loved with her whole, whole heart is gone'

"It's almost like she's trapped in a nightmare that she has no memory of," she told the host. "She's never seen the evidence. She's never seen the discovery. She's never seen anything."

She went on to say that her daughter is 'literally trapped in this nightmare', and that she 'struggles mentally'.

Speaking about the crash itself, Natalie claimed that Shirilla could not remember what had happened during the car crash.

"All she knows is that the boyfriend that she loved with her whole, whole heart is gone and Davion is gone and she was the driver in a car accident, and has no memory of it," she said.

Mackenzie Shirilla's new 'so sad' prison hobby

Natalie also opened up about how her daughter has been keeping herself occupied behind bars, sharing that she has taken up art.

"It's so sad, and one of these days I'll share it. I'm not going to share it now for obvious reasons, but it's really sad," she said.

The mom went on to explain that her daughter's pictures appear to reflect her own circumstances, including self-portraits.

"She does self-portraits of herself where she has a rose of thorns around her neck or her mouth is sewn shut, and she's got all these question marks around her head like, 'Why, why, why?'" Natalie said.

"And like, 'Where's Dom?’ Like, ‘What happened and [to] Davion?'"

Shirilla's mom has spoken about how she's coping behind bars while she serves her life sentence (Ohio Department of Rehabilitation & Correction)

Mackenzie Shirilla timeline

July 17 2022 - Mackenzie Shirilla and her boyfriend Dominic Russo get into an argument. A friend overhears Shirilla tell him: “I will crash this car right now.”

July 31 2022 - Shirilla is driving Russo, 20, and their friend Davion Flanagan, 19, from Russo’s home to a friend’s house. At around 5.30am, she crashes the car into a Plidco Building in Strongsville, Ohio, travelling at 100mph without braking. Police arrive on the scene 45 minutes later. Russo and Flanagan are pronounced dead and Shirilla is transported to MetroHealth Medical Center.

August 2022 - 200 people attend a vigil for Russo and Flanagan. Shirilla remains in critical condition. When a detective visits her in hospital, she is said to be speaking a ‘unique language’ similar to pig Latin.

October 2022 - Shirilla attends a Halloween party wearing fancy dress which resembles a corpse, which Davion’s father considers in very poor taste. He says in Netflix’s The Crash: “Dressing up as corpses three months after she killed two people, it just sickened us to the very core.”

November 4 2022 - Shirilla is arrested and faces 18 charges, including two counts of aggravated murder. She also faces charges for allegedly breaking into the Columbia Church of God in Columbia Station days before the crash, along with drug trafficking and possession charges.

August 7 2023 - Shirilla’s trial begins. Her defence team argue she may have passed out at the time of the crash due to postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), but no medical records or expert testimony confirms the diagnosis.

August 14 2023 - Shirilla is found guilty on all counts. Judge Nancy Margaret Russo calls her ‘hell on wheels’, and the court concludes she intetionally crashed the car in a premeditated act.

August 23 2023 - Shirilla is sentenced to two concurrent 15 years to life sentences. Her legal team later lose an appeal and relief petition. She remains incarcerated in Ohio Refamatory for Women.

May 22 2025 - Mackenzie’s parents insist that she’s innocent. Her father Steve tells WKYC: “Show me one piece of evidence - one - that says she did this on purpose. Show it to me, then she's right where she belongs and she's guilty of it. But there isn't any.” Her mother Natalie claims there are texts in which Shirilla says Russo was ‘trying to end her life’.

May 15 2026 - Netflix’s The Crash premieres. In it, Shirilla insists she is ‘not a murderer’ and has no memory of the crash, continuing to blame POTS.

May 18 2026 - Steve Shirilla is placed on administrative leave from his job as an art and digital media teacher at Mary Queen of Peace School in Cleveland following allegations he had ‘demonstrated poor judgement’. Viewers of Netflix’s documentary objected to his attitude towards Shirilla’s marijuana use and his dismissal of claims she told a classmate to end their life.

September 2037 - This is when Shirilla will be eligible for parole