Mackenzie Shirilla's 'prison girlfriend' reveals sick nickname killer had in jail
Topics: Mackenzie Shirilla, Crime, Ohio, True crime
William Morgan
Featured Image Credit: Netflix
Topics: Mackenzie Shirilla, Crime, Ohio, True crime
The woman who killed her boyfriend and his friend in a horror car crash by intentionally driving into a wall at 100mph has apparently earned herself a sickening nickname in prison.
Mackenzie Shirilla was just 17 when she committed the horrifying double murder that shocked the world and made her famous across the country.
Her case has been brought back into the spotlight in recent weeks with the airing of a new documentary about her deadly decision to stamp on the accelerator in the early hours of July 31, 2022.
This ultimately led to her being found guilty of multiple counts of murder and aggravated vehicular homicide, with her being handed 15 years to life in the Ohio Reformatory for Women, where her 'prison girlfriend' says she is earning a reputation.
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Her former inmate and jailhouse lover at the Ohio women's prison - where Shirilla will remain until at least 2037 - has spoken to the US Sun about how the double-murderer is adapting to life behind bars.
And she seems to be taking a liking to her newfound infamy. Shyann Topping, 27, told the publication: “We started talking and she told me her nickname was ‘Shirilla the killa,’ like, that’s what her bunkmates called her.”
Topping said that she had even dated 'Shirilla the killa' for a couple of weeks while she was locked up with her, but chillingly added that the now-21-year-old is a particularly demanding person to be in a relationship with.
One of the sticking points in the romance for Shirilla was if her older lover was late to the prison yard, as that was where they could be 'intimate'. “If we did argue, it’s because I didn’t come outside on time,” Topping shared of her demanding behavior.
This would even escalate into threats if she didn't make into the yard on time. Topping added: “And she’s like, ‘I was waiting for you. Where were you? Like, if this is how it’s gonna go, I just won’t talk to you.'”
But their tryst came tumbling down just two weeks into their prison romance, after Topping was released from her sentence. This was said to devastate Shirilla, who had already told Topping that she loved her.
The ex-con added: “Mackenzie was upset that I was leaving. She would tell me all the time, ‘I wish we met sooner, before you were about to get out. I wish you would have talked before this.'"
Topping told the Sun that, even in that two week whirlwind romance, Shirilla had spoken to her about her grand plans for when she eventually gets out of prison. “She said she was just gonna live it [up],” she told the publication.
Apparently, Shirilla is even plotting to rehabilitate her image. Topping said: “Like, she’s gonna go back to concerts. She’s gonna travel. She’s gonna be an influencer and write a book when she gets out about everything that happened.
“She said it might take some time, but she’s gonna get out and live it again.”
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.