Mackenzie Shirilla's disturbing texts to late boyfriend Dominic Russo before crash
Topics: Crime, US News, Netflix, Documentaries, Mackenzie Shirilla
Mia Williams
Featured Image Credit: Netflix
Topics: Crime, US News, Netflix, Documentaries, Mackenzie Shirilla
Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
Mackenzie Shirilla's disturbing texts to her late boyfriend Dominic Russo have been exposed, after she was convicted of killing the 20-year-old by driving her car 100mph into a brick wall in 2022.
Shirilla, from Ohio, was just 17 years old when she purposely drove her vehicle into a brick wall with her boyfriend, Russo, and their friend Davion Flanagan, in the passenger seats.
Both Russo, 20, and Flanagan, 19, were pronounced dead at the scene, and while critics believe that the crash was not intentional, Shirilla was found guilty of their murders and sentenced to two concurrent life sentences in prison.
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During her trial the judge believed that the crash, in which she was estimated to be driving at 100 mph, was premeditated murder.
Two years on from her sentencing, a chain of toxic text messages have now been obtained by TMZ, sent by Shirilla to Russo years before the crash occurred.
She appears emotional in her texts, telling Russo that she was 'gonna kill someone'.
'I just want to bang my head on the wall till I'm dead', she added, as well as 'THIS IS WHY I J WANNA F***ING KMS'.
Other messages recall Shirilla talking about not being pregnant, getting tested for STDs, having health issues from smoking, not liking her house, feeling depressed, and complaining about how Russo treats her.
But alongside the string of texts, there's also a message from Russo, in which he admits to Shirilla that he crashed his mom's car.
A new Netflix documentary called The Crash revisits the infamous case which divided the nation, in which Shirilla speaks out publicly for the first time since her conviction.
In the film, the 21-year-old maintains her innocence, claiming that she may have lost consciousness before the crash due to a medical condition.
And it has sparked fierce debate online, with viewers split over her account of events, with many feeling that Netflix doesn't tell the whole story.
"Ok I’ll say it, I don’t think Mackenzie Shirilla did it on purpose," one viewer wrote on X.
While another added: "She drove down the same road seven times in one day the week of the murders they fail to mention this in the Netflix documentary."
The 21-year-old is not eligible for parole until 2037, when she will be 33.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in a mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.
If you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.