Dominic Russo’s sister issues blunt response after Mackenzie Shirilla appeal is rejected
Dominic Russo’s sister has responded after Mackenzie Shirilla’s latest appeal was rejected by the Ohio Supreme Court.
Shirilla was given two concurrent sentences of 15 years to life for the 2022 murder of her then-boyfriend Russo, 20, and his friend Davion Flanagan, 19, after she crashed her Toyota Camry into a brick wall at speeds of up to 100mph.
Throughout her trial and subsequent incarceration, Shirilla has maintained her innocence and claimed that a medical condition had caused her to lose consciousness behind the wheel.
Her legal team has filed appeals on her behalf in the hopes of getting a fresh trial.
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However, on Tuesday 23 June, the Ohio Supreme Court declined to hear her latest appeal due to it being filed past the deadline.
In Ohio, convicted defendants have 365 days after the trial transcripts are filed to challenge their conviction.
In Shirilla’s case, the transcripts were filed on 23 October 2023, but her lawyers didn’t file the appeal until 24 October 2024 - a day past the deadline.
In April this year, Shirilla’s new lawyers filed another appeal, arguing that a separate transcript had been filed weeks after the original October one.
But that appeal was rejected, with the Ohio Supreme Court stating ‘that the trial court correctly determined it was without jurisdiction to consider the petition’.
Dominic’s sister Christine Russo has now responded to the decision with a post on Instagram.
Sharing a screenshot of the rejected appeal, Christine wrote: “Appeal denied. #sorrynotsorry you are STILL a murderer. Not surprised at all.”
Heartbroken Christine has previously called out the ‘lies’ in The Crash - the Netflix documentary about the case.
And has also launched a petition to prevent Shirilla from making money from her crimes.
Christine 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.
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 modernise these laws for the digital age and close the loopholes that allow convicted violent offenders to turn tragedy into personal gain.”
Mackenzie Shirilla timeline
17 July 2022 - Mackenzie Shirilla and her boyfriend Dominic Russo get into an argument. A friend allegedly overhears Shirilla tell him: “I will crash this car right now.”
31 July 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.”
4 November 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 possession charges.
7 August 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.
14 August 2023 - Shirilla is found guilty on all counts. Judge Nancy Margaret Russo calls her ‘hell on wheels’, and the court concludes she intentionally crashed the car in a premeditated act.
23 August 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 the Ohio Reformatory for Women.
22 May 2025 - Shirilla’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’.
15 May 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.
18 May 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
Topics: Mackenzie Shirilla
Claire Reid