US5 min(s) read
Published 10:42 25 May 2026 GMT
The release of The Crash on Netflix has sparked interest in the Mackenzie Shirilla murder case, four years on.
Mackenzie, then 17, was found guilty of killing two men, ex-boyfriend Dominic Russo, 21, and Davion Flanagan, 19.
It was determined that she had intentionally crashed her car into a brick wall at over 100 mph (160 km/h) in July 2022, before being convicted of murder in 2023.
The judge had explained that she crashed the car on purpose in a premeditated murder and as a result, Mackenzie was convicted of 12 felony charges and sentenced to two concurrent life sentences, with the possibility of parole after 15 years.
And now, an alleged former lover of Mackenzie's has spoken out about how she was when they met behind bars.
Mackenzie, now 21, is currently serving her prison sentence at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville, known for housing minimum and medium security inmates.
A woman who claims to have dated her said Mackenzie is certain she won't spend her life behind bars.
Shyann Topping, 27, spent two years behind bars after being convicted on drug charges, and claims she started dating Mackenzie just two weeks before she was released.
Speaking to the U.S. Sun, Shyann said, like many others, that Mackenzie had a "popular girl aura."
She added: “She said she was just gonna live it [if she gets out], like she’s gonna go back to concerts. She’s gonna travel,
“She’s gonna be an influencer and write a book when she gets out about everything that happened.
“She said it might take some time, but she’s gonna get out and live it again,” Shyann claimed.
The former convict said that Mackenzie claimed she was not aware of the facts behind the case, believing it was an accident.
Shyann recalled: “I thought, okay, if this girl really is innocent, it would be an amazing story to get out, write a book and blow up off of that and even honor your boyfriend and his friend,
“Then if she did blow up, okay, she could set the families off with her, what is it? Publishing money.”
Upon reflection and having been released, Shyann says that her former lover is actually guilty and wants to be famous.
She allegedly boasted about her nickname in prison, "Shirilla The Killa," as Shyann explained: “Now I’m thinking, okay, she was just trying to grab a piece of fame.
“I don’t think she would do any of that for the families if she got out.
“I think she would throw up a big middle finger to them like, I got away with it.”
The subject of The Crash documentary had claimed that she suffers from POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), a disorder linked with the autonomic nervous system, which she claimed gave her a seizure in the car.
However, prosecutors argued this wasn't the case, as Shyann pointed out: “She’s going with this POTS theory when everybody knows it’s not true,
“And then she’s gonna say, go out there, appeal, appeal, appeal, appeal, going with that theory.
“It’s not gonna work. You have to show remorse. You at least gotta tell the families what happened.”
Shyann, who said that she would get intimate with Mackenzie in the prison yard, claimed she saw no POTS symptoms while being with her.
In fact, it was the opposite.
“It was always bubbly, smiley, happy, line-dancing every Friday. I’ve never seen her sad, honestly. She just stays real busy all day,” Shyann said, adding that she even took part in line dancing in the gym.
Mackenzie had built up a social media following before being thrown in jail, as she was known for posting videos of her dancing, showing off outfits, or even smoking marijuana while behind the wheel of a vehicle.
She has also posted selfies from prison since, and though marijuana was found in her system at the time of the crash, experts said it was not a contributing factor.
Shyann said that her ex-partner would wake up at 6AM every morning to do her hair and makeup, and that she regularly got money from her parents.
Apparently, inmates were allowed tablets in prison and could read books and listen to music.
Noting that Mackenzie's favorite genre was hip-hop, she said of her hobbies: “She would do art a lot…. would paint cups for people, paint people’s shoes, draw, stuff like that.”
Everyone in prison was assigned a job, and Mackenzie was on the maintenance team.
Shyann said Mackenzie was demanding while they were together, asking to see her at 7AM at first yard as they were in different sections.
“If we did argue, it’s because I didn’t come outside on time or didn’t come outside for that yard,” she recalled.
“And she’d be like, ‘I was waiting for you. Where were you? Like, if this is how it’s gonna go, I just won’t talk to you.'”
Apparently, Mackenzie dropped the L-word despite their relationship being just two weeks old.
She said: “Mackenzie was upset that I was leaving. She would tell me all the time, ‘I wish we met sooner before you were about to get out. I wish you would have talked before this’,” Shyann explained.
While they did video call and stay in touch shortly after Shyann's release, the couple stopped talking as Shyann asked for answers on the crash.
