Mackenzie Shirilla's new prison photo shoot slammed after legal update
Mackenzie Shirilla posed for a new selfie not long after her lawyers made another legal move after the Ohio Supreme Court declined to hear her latest appeal.
The 21-year-old is currently serving two concurrent sentences of 15 years to life for the 2022 murder of her then-boyfriend Dominic Russo and his friend Davion Flanagan.
Shirilla, who was dubbed ‘hell on wheels’ by her trial judge, crashed her Toyota Camry into a brick wall at speeds of 100mph, according to the black box that was retrieved from the vehicle.
Shirilla’s supporters posted the snap on her Instagram account this week, stating she is ‘trying to do better every day and holding out hope’.
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But there was an intense backlash to the new picture.
Many on X questioned how she appeared to be wearing makeup, and how she took what appears to be a selfie while behind bars.
One wrote: "How in the hell does this girl have a phone, makeup done, laid edges, flat-ironed hair, AND the audacity to take selfies knowing she murdered two innocent guys?? While in JAIL??? What the actual f**k is going on."
Ohio rules dictate that inmates may wear 'a reasonable amount of makeup', though 'staff may require an inmate to remove make-up if in the judgment of a supervisor any significant change in physical appearance has taken place'.
Shirilla was the subject of the Netflix documentary The Crash, which examined the tragic case. She is currently incarcerated at the Ohio Reformatory for Women.
Following the 2022 crash, she was found guilty in 2023 of four counts of felonious assault and two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide.
Throughout her trial and time in prison, Shirilla has maintained her innocence. Her legal team has since filed three appeals in an effort to secure a new trial, but each attempt has been unsuccessful.
On 23 June, the Ohio Supreme Court declined to hear her latest appeal, ruling that it would not consider the case because the appeal was filed after the deadline.
Under Ohio law, a convicted defendant has 365 days from the filing of the trial transcripts to challenge their conviction.
Shirilla’s legal team submitted the appeal one day late and has argued that the delay was caused by 2024 being a leap year. However, the Ohio Supreme Court rejected the appeal, stating that 'the trial court correctly determined it was without jurisdiction to consider the petition'.
However, Shirilla does not appear to be giving up on the possibility of an appeal. According to Fox 8, on Tuesday (7 July), her attorney filed a motion asking the Ohio Supreme Court to reconsider its decision, arguing that the deadlines were unclear.
Cleveland 19 described the lawyers’ move as a 'very interesting' development, with the defence requesting a reconsideration of last month’s ruling.
Defence attorney Tera Coleman, who is not involved in Shirilla’s case, provided insight into the possible next steps, telling Cleveland 19 that it is 'very rare' for the Ohio Supreme Court to grant motions for reconsideration.
Shirilla’s first parole hearing is scheduled for 2037, although the trial judge previously warned that she could spend the rest of her life behind bars.
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.
23 June 2026
The Ohio Supreme Court declines to review Shirilla’s appeal case. Her lawyers missed the deadline for a post-conviction review by one day because 2024 was a leap year, and the court upheld an earlier decision that Shirilla’s conviction therefore could not be challenged.
September 2037
This is when Shirilla will be eligible for parole.
Topics: Mackenzie Shirilla, Crime, US News
Greg Harris