Mackenzie Shirilla ‘Still Loves' BF Dominic Russo After Crash, Mom Says
Mackenzie Shirilla's mother, Natalie Shirilla, insisted that her daughter still loves her deceased boyfriend, Dominic Russo, after Mackenzie was accused of killing him and their friend Davion Flanagan in a fatal car crash in 2022.
While speaking to The Daily Mail in an interview published on Sunday, June 14, Natalie, 51, tried to clear up false rumors she's seen online including that Russo, 20, had allegedly been trying to break up with Mackenzie, 21, prior to the car crash.
"I loved Dom. I still love Dom. Mackenzie still loves Dom. She's struggling. Dom was like part of our family," Natalie said of Russo.
Natalie went on to claim that Russo was "bipolar" and previously threatened suicide, with one alleged incident taking place at the Shirillas' home.
She also admitted that Mackenzie and Russo had a volatile relationship and fought often, though she insisted that Mackenzie was always by Russo's side whenever he was going through a difficult time.
Natalie said that Russo's mother had even called Mackenzie on several occasions to ask for help when Russo would begin to "hit his head against the wall."
Mackenzie was arrested following a July 2022 car crash in which she drove her car 100 mph into a brick building in Strongsville, Ohio. Russo and Flanagan, 19, died during the crash, and Mackenzie survived after sustaining severe injuries.
The case went to trial in 2023 and she was convicted of 12 felony charges, including murder, felonious assault and aggravated vehicular homicide. Mackenzie was ultimately sentenced to serve two concurrent sentences of 15 years to life in prison, and she is currently in custody at the Ohio Reformatory for Women.
Despite her conviction, Mackenzie has insisted she's innocent and said she never tried to kill Russo and Flanagan.
After Mackenzie was convicted, her case re-entered the spotlight when it was highlighted in Netflix's May documentary The Crash. Meanwhile, several clips of her prison phone calls and text messages exchanged with Russo have since been released to the public.
In one set of text messages released by law enforcement, Mackenzie accused Russo of putting her life in danger after they got into an argument over her erratic driving.
"Do you think I would have my car started with you in it knowing that you just tried to kill me," she allegedly wrote to Russo in the exchange, per TMZ.
Mackenzie then told Russo that she wanted him to list the reasons why he loves her, as well as sent graphic texts in which she threatened to hurt herself and others.
"I'm gonna kill someone," she allegedly wrote. "I f***ing hate myself… Now I'm at your f***ing house breaking down on your floor."
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This story was originally published June 15, 2026 at 11:50 AM.