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Published 10:56 28 May 2026 GMT
Read Mackenzie Shirilla and Dominic Russo's texts before she killed him and friend in 100mph car crash
Newly revealed text messages between Mackenzie Shirilla and her late boyfriend Dominic Russo have shed light on the turbulent relationship leading up to the deadly 100mph crash that killed him and their friend, Davion Flanagan.
The messages, obtained by PEOPLE from the Strongsville Police Department, span from January 2020 to July 30, 2022, just one day before Shirilla slammed her Toyota Camry into a brick wall at around 100mph, killing Russo and Flanagan instantly.
Shirilla, who survived the crash, was later convicted of murdering both teenagers and is currently serving two concurrent sentences of 15 years to life in prison.
The couple had dated for four years after first getting together while Shirilla was still in high school. Although they often appeared inseparable online, the texts reveal a relationship filled with explosive arguments, accusations, emotional threats, and claims of reckless behavior.
Tumultuous relationship between the pair
In one heated exchange from January 2020, Shirilla became furious after Russo told her he couldn’t give her a ride.
“I’m so f**king mad,” she texted him.
Moments later, she added: “I’m gonna kill someone.”
The argument escalated further later that day when Shirilla accused Russo of making her feel “worthless.”
“I F**KING HATE MYSELF IM UGLY AND YOU J[UST] ADD ON TO IT,” she wrote. “YOU MAKE ME FEEL LIKE IM WORTHLESS.”
At another point during the same exchange, Shirilla messaged: “I j[ust] want to bang my head on the wall till I’m dead.”
The texts also show repeated threats of breakups throughout their relationship, with both accusing the other of toxic behavior.
In September 2021, Shirilla admitted: “Like I did break up with you but then you bought me a purse and yes it did fix the problems for a couple days but they just came back worse.”
Russo later complained: “U cant go a day without threatening to breakup w me.”
One particularly disturbing exchange from August 2021 included Russo accusing Shirilla of threatening him with violence.
“Thts my bad but u did threaten to stab me in the eye,” he wrote.
“Yeah idc,” Shirilla replied.
Russo repeated the allegation moments later, writing: “U threatened to stab me in yhe eye.”
Elsewhere in the messages, Russo claimed Shirilla physically attacked him during an argument just months before the murder.
“[You] didnt let me out the car and then hit me and pulled the s**t out of my hair then tried to throw a rock at me,” he alleged.
Shirilla admitted throwing the rock “your way,” claiming she had been upset because he was filming her.
The texts also appear to show concerns about Shirilla’s driving months before the fatal crash.
“And kenzie u drive like a maniac everyday,” Russo wrote.
During another argument, he accused her of “speeding whipping turns like a maniac.”
Shirilla herself once accused Russo of “driving like a psychopath.”
The couple also exchanged allegations of manipulation, cheating, and blackmail.
“You are a straight liar a pathological manipulator,” Shirilla told him during one argument.
Russo responded elsewhere by accusing her of emotional threats and extreme behavior, telling her: “If im being totally honest its your temper thats the main problem.”
Shirilla acknowledged her struggles in one message, writing: “Obviously I have anger issues I’ve been working on my whole entire life.”
Just weeks before the deadly crash, the relationship appeared to be collapsing entirely.
On July 2, 2022, Russo attempted to end things with Shirilla.
“Kenzie u said mean things to me and i felt unappreciated and mad,” he wrote.
But the arguments continued escalating.
The disturbing texts weeks before the murder
In another chilling exchange from July 17, less than two weeks before the crash, Shirilla accused Russo of trying to kill her during an argument on the highway.
“The fact that my boyfriend of four years just tried to end my life by steering me off of the highway,” she wrote.
Russo denied the accusation repeatedly, replying: “Kenzie i didnt.”
The texts became increasingly hostile in the days leading up to the fatal collision.
On July 21, just days before the crash, Shirilla threatened to damage Russo’s belongings after he refused to let her into his house.
“I’m only going to break s**t if you don’t let me in,” she wrote.
The next week, Russo and Flanagan were dead.
Authorities later argued the crash was intentional, with prosecutors pointing to surveillance footage and evidence showing that Shirilla never hit the brakes before crashing into the wall.
At sentencing, Judge Nancy Margaret Russo described Shirilla’s actions as “controlled, methodical, deliberate, intentional, and purposeful.”
The case has since become the subject of Netflix documentary The Crash, which premiered on May 15 and includes Shirilla’s first video interview since her conviction.