Mackenzie Shirilla Shares Her Future Plans Upon Release from Prison
Convicted murderer Mackenzie Shirilla has shared her aspirations for life after prison, should she ever gain her freedom.
“I’m going to be a life coach and everything,” Shirilla, 21, reportedly expressed to her mother, Natalie Shirilla, in a phone call from the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville. This was revealed in audio obtained by TMZ and published on Saturday, May 30. “I’m just going to be everything. I’m going to do everything.”
Mackenzie is serving two concurrent sentences of 15 years to life after being convicted during a 2023 bench trial on 12 felony counts, including murder, related to a July 2022 car crash that claimed the lives of her boyfriend Dominic Russo and high school friend Davion Flanagan.
At the age of 17, Mackenzie was driving her Toyota Camry at over 100 mph in Strongsville, Ohio, when she intentionally crashed into a brick wall, accelerating and steering her car toward the building with her boyfriend and friend inside. She was the sole survivor, sustaining serious injuries, and she insists on her innocence, claiming she cannot recall the crash.
Her case has gained renewed national interest following the release of Netflix’s documentary The Crash on May 15, which chronicles the events leading up to and following the tragic incident.
The 21-year-old shared her optimistic post-prison aspirations after her mother commended her for being a “pillar of strength” during the aftermath of the crash, the trial, and her subsequent incarceration. (Mackenzie is not eligible for parole until October 2037.)
“All the things you have been going through. It’s a lot. So many highs and lows, ups and downs. A pillar of strength, my love,” Natalie told her daughter during the same audio recording acquired by TMZ.
“Yeah, like, man. I just want to come home and just… I don’t even know,” Mackenzie reportedly replied.
“You’re going to be able to help so many more people than you already were, you know what I mean?” her mother encouraged. “Just because of what you’ve experienced.”
While Mackenzie seems hopeful for the future, recently obtained prison records by Us Weekly reveal that she has experienced multiple disciplinary actions while incarcerated. These include a NSFW video call incident in 2025, during which she allegedly exposed her breasts to a visitor who had “a dildo sticking out of her pants twice.”
Mackenzie also received write-ups for possessing altered clothing and four “nude magazine pictures” in October 2024. As a consequence for these violations, prison officials restricted her commissary access for 30 days, as indicated in the documents.
