Dominic Russo's sister calls for law preventing Mackenzie Shirilla becoming 'the next Gypsy Rose Blanchard'
Dominic Russo’s sister, Christine Russo, has created a petition for a new law in honour of her brother which has so far received a massive 25,667 signatures.
Dominic Russo was killed in a car crash where Mackenzie Shirilla drove her vehicle at 100 mph into a wall, also killing Russo’s friend Davion Flanagan.
Shirilla’s case has received renewed interest due to Netflix’s new hit true crime documentary The Crash, which looks at how she was jailed for the murder of Davion and Dominic.
Since being in jail Mackenzie has maintained her innocence, but prisoners who spent time behind bars with her have said that she was very different to how she came across in the Netflix doc.
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According to Kat Crowder, who spent time in the same prison as Mackenzie, the double murderer was focused on becoming famous and never showed any outward signs of guilt for what she had done.
Christine Russo however is calling for ‘Dom’s Law’ which would mean that, once Mackenzie comes out of prison, her supposed desire for fame and celebrity can’t be financially rewarded.
What is Dom’s Law and what has Christine said about it?
In a petition on Change.Com calling for Dom’s Law, Christine said that The Crash has forced the Russo family to relive the tragedy ‘again and again’.
She continued, saying: “What hurts even more is seeing how modern social media culture allows violent offenders to gain attention, followers, donations, publicity, and influence from the crimes that destroyed families like mine.
“I started this petition to call on lawmakers to modernize these laws for the digital age and close the loopholes that allow convicted violent offenders to turn tragedy into personal gain.”
Christine’s petition referenced ‘Son of Sam laws’, a statute that was brought in after widespread speculation that the Son of Sam serial killer David Berkowitz was planning to sell his story to a writer.
These laws prevent criminals from profiting off their crimes, but have never been modernised to account for TikTok, reality TV shows, or social media in general.
Speaking in her podcast interview on The Big Sister: Unhinged, she said: “It is hard, the thought of [Mackenzie] getting out and you know that, Gypsy Rose [Blanchard], it’s going to happen.
“I got to figure out how to stop her from becoming the next Gypsy Rose… I’m on a mission.”
Why is Christine comparing Mackenzie Shirilla to Gypsy Rose Blanchard?
Gypsy Rose Blanchard made headlines in 2015 when she conspired with her boyfriend to have him stab her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard.
Gypsy Rose was jailed after pleading guilty to second degree murder, blaming the incident on her Munchausen by Proxy syndrome her mother inflicted upon her, and was released on parole in December of 2023.
After her release the murderer got a reality TV show Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up and has become a social media star with over nine million followers on TikTok.
Mackenzie does not have a parole hearing until 2037, and could potentially spend life in prisons, however it’s not impossible for her to be released in less than a decade.
In her petition, Christine said: “Violent crime should not become a pathway to fame, money, influence, or opportunity.
“Public attention should never become a reward for homicide. Notoriety should not become a business model.
“Victims’ families deserve protection from being retraumatized while offenders, or those acting on their behalf, benefit from the public attention created by violent crime.
Modern platforms have changed how people become famous and how they make money. Our laws must catch up.”
The petition for Dom’s Law can be found here.
Topics: Mackenzie Shirilla, Netflix, True Crime, Gypsy Rose Blanchard, Documentaries
Michael Slavin