In the months before Mackenzie Shirilla slammed her car into a brick wall, killing Dominic Russo and their friend, she and Russo exchanged explosive texts filled with accusations of prostitution, “sugar daddies,” and admissions from Shirilla that she performed sexual acts “for money.”
Just days before turning 18, Mackenzie Shirilla drove her Toyota Camry nearly 100 mph into a brick wall in Strongsville, Ohio, killing her boyfriend, 20-year-old Dominic Russo, and their friend, Davion Flanagan, 19.
During her 2023 bench trial, prosecutors argued the deadly crash was intentional, pointing to evidence that Shirilla accelerated straight into the wall after months of escalating tension in her relationship with Russo, People reports.
Investigators also cited alleged threats Shirilla made in the weeks before the crash, along with videos recovered from Russo’s phone that reportedly captured explosive arguments between the couple.
‘This was murder’
Though Shirilla has insisted she blacked out and cannot remember what happened, surveillance footage proved otherwise. The teen appeared to be alert and in control as she navigated winding roads, and data recovered from the vehicle demonstrated that the accelerator remained pressed until impact.
After reviewing crash footage and evidence presented in court, Judge Nancy Russo rejected Shirilla’s claim that she blacked out before the crash, saying she “morphs from a responsible driver to literal hell on wheels.”
“She had a mission and she executed it with precision,” said Russo, who also described Shirilla’s actions as “controlled, methodical, deliberate, intentional and purposeful.”
While delivering the verdict, the judge added, “This was not reckless driving. This was murder,” according to CBS affiliate 19 News.
Search for ‘sugar daddy’
As part of the investigation, detectives reviewed roughly 93,000 messages exchanged between Shirilla and Russo between January 2020 and July 2022.
According to The U.S. Sun, the texts were included in a massive 31,000-page investigative document and painted a chaotic picture of the couple’s relationship in the months before the deadly crash.
In one January 2022 exchange, Shirilla threatened to find a “sugar daddy” if Russo failed to apologize after another argument.
“You realize I’m just gonna go get a sugar daddy and start selling feet pics and I’m gonna be doing just fine so this is really your last chance to hand write me an apology or fix this or we’re really done,” she texted him.
“I’m giving you 10 minutes starting now,” she added before he replied: “Ok go get some fake love that’s short lived.”
Moments later, he added: “A sugar daddy? I don’t get how [you’ve] come to this. I [really] do love [you] [I don’t care] how tough or relationship is [I’m committed].”
But Shirilla continued pressuring him.
“I don’t see you typing a paragraph long apology right now like I’m serious you only have five minutes left till you’re single.”
‘It was just feet’
According to the texts reviewed by The U.S. Sun, the arguments between the couple repeatedly circled back to allegations that Shirilla accepted money to perform sexual acts.
During one exchange in March 2022, Russo confronted Shirilla, texting: “Yea [you] let a dude f*** your feet for money like 6 months ago.”
Shirilla did not deny the encounter but insisted it happened while they were no longer together, brushing it off and mocking Russo’s outrage.
Shirilla continued minimizing the situation, repeatedly telling him it “was just feet,” demanding he “leave” the relationship if he could not move past it.
‘Ran off and became a prostitute’
By June 2022, the same accusations were still fueling arguments between the couple.
In another heated text exchange, Russo accused Shirilla of selling her “body to that random dude.”
Shirilla again defended herself by insisting nothing sexual happened beyond the foot-related encounter and reminded Russo they had been broken up at the time.
Russo, however, continued escalating the argument, “[You] ran off and became a prostitute.”
“[You] could never tell your family [you] were a prostitute,” he added before she denied the accusations, writing: “Because it’s only my business and it’s not a prostitution.”
Even later that month, Russo still appeared unable to let the issue go, warning Shirilla there would “always” “be problems if [you’re] hanging with someone who got a dude to f*** your feet for money.”
‘Suspected sex offenses’
According to the Strongsville Police Department, investigators examined whether Shirilla had been manipulated or forced into sexual activity.
“The purpose of the investigation into suspected sex offenses committed by Mackenzie was for the purpose of confirming or dispelling the possibility of Mackenzie having been victimized and forced into committing unwanted sex acts,” investigators explained.
After reviewing the evidence, police concluded: “Messages indicate that Mackenzie voluntarily engaged in suspected sex acts with other people likely in exchange for monetary value without being forced to commit those acts.”
Meanwhile, Shirilla’s legal team continues fighting her conviction after previous appeals were denied.
“At this point, we are focused on pursuing the appeal to the Ohio Supreme Court and investigating other potential legal remedies with the goal of securing a new trial,” her attorneys previously said in a statement.
What do you think about the newly revealed messages between Mackenzie Shirilla and Dominic Russo? Please let us know your thoughts and then share this story so we can get the conversation going!
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