US4 min(s) read
Published 09:37 27 May 2026 GMT
Convicted murderer Mackenzie Shirilla received a chilling text from her boyfriend just weeks before a fatal car crash took his life.
Mackenzie, 17 at the time, was at the wheel of the vehicle when it crashed into a brick wall at over 100 mph (160 km/h) in July 2022, with ex-boyfriend Dominic Russo, 21, and Davion Flanagan, 19, also in the car.
The following year, the teen would be found guilty of killing the two men in 2023, with the judge saying that she had done it on purpose.
Determined to be a premeditated murder, Mackenzie was convicted of 12 felony charges and sentenced to two concurrent life sentences, with the possibility of parole in 2037.
"This was not reckless driving - this was murder," a judge stated when delivering her verdict, adding: "She had a mission, and she executed it with precision. The decision was death."
But while text messages have been uncovered between Mackenzie and her ex-boyfriend Dominic, the latest could be the most telling yet.
A text message obtained by TMZ shows Dominic speaking to Mackenzie roughly four weeks before the crash, pointing out that life is short.
He wrote: "Kenzie u know i love u but i dont think we should be together at this point there isnt very much time on earth."
Dominic goes on to speak about their fights and their on-again, off-again relationship, telling her how he feels.
He wrote: "I dont want u to think im abandoning u i wish it could work but i dont think its going to at this point especially with the threats we should just breakup so we can both fimd happiness somewhere else."
The text was sent on July 2, 2022, which was 29 days before the car crash that ended his life.
Mackenzie has continued to maintain that she suffered a medical emergency behind the wheel while driving in the early hours of that July morning.
First responders arrived at the scene and found her Toyota Camry split in half, with Mackenzie wedged between the driver's seat and the door, with the two passengers determined dead on arrival.
The judge said that the teen's actions were "controlled, methodical, deliberate, intentional, and purposeful," and that she wanted to kill the men.
Mackenzie and Dominic had broken up a number of times and often argued, as shown by the several text messages made public by authorities.
The teen, described as "hell on wheels," can be seen threatening to leave her boyfriend on several occasions among 93,000 text messages between Shirilla and Russo from January 2020 through July 30, 2022.
One message read: “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.
“I’m giving you 10 minutes starting now,” she warned.
“Ok go get some fake love thats short lived,” he replied, later adding: “A suggar daddy? I don’t get how youve come to this. I rly do love u idc how tough or relationship is im commitment rn (sic).”
Mackenzie showed little remorse, though, replying: “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.”
Dominic even claimed that she had cheated in the past, writing in March 2022: “Yea u let a dude f*** your feet for money like 6 months ago. That should be even fr.”
And she didn't deny this, writing: “We were broken up. LMAOOOAOO,” as Dominic pointed out: “We were broken up when i did sh**.
“I mean fr tho what i did was 3 years ago what u did was 6 months ago.”
“We were broken up and it was feetLMAOA once again THEN leave,” Mackenzie said.
According to friends and family, the couple were on and off for four years and lived together.
