Mackenzie Shirilla Sent a Text to Boyfriend's Mother After Fatal Crash- Here's What it Said
Mackenzie Shirilla is making headlines once again after new information was uncovered in a 2024 Ohio Court of Appeals opinion upholding her conviction.
In court documents obtained by Parade, the opinion states that Shirilla sent a text to Christine Russo, the mother of her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, who was killed when Shirilla drove her Toyota Camry into a brick wall while going 100 mph.
"I remember turning onto the street, and then my vision fades to black," Shirilla wrote in the text. "It really kills me not to be able to remember anything. I promise you I would tell you. I've been asking my therapist why I don't remember, and she said it's because of trauma. I'm gonna try to get myself hypnotized and make myself remember."
Shirilla, who was 17 at the time of the crash, has repeatedly said that she doesn't have any recollection of what happened before hitting the wall.
About four months after the crash that claimed the lives of Shirilla's boyfriend and another mutual friend, Davion Flanagan, the then-teen was taken into custody. Following a bench trial, a judge found Shirilla guilty on four counts of murder, four counts of felonious assault, two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide and one count each of drug possession and possessing criminal tools.
Now at age 21, Shirilla is serving concurrent 15-year-to-life sentences at the Ohio Reformatory for Women. She is eligible for parole in 2037.
Shirilla is featured in the Netflix documentary The Crash, which has become a massive streaming hit since its May 15 release.
Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published May 26, 2026 at 1:13 PM.