US5 min(s) read
Published 10:15 22 May 2026 GMT
Thousands of text messages between convict Mackenzie Shirilla and her ex-boyfriend Dominic Russo have been made public for the first time.
The Crash, a true crime documentary following Mackenzie's murder case, has sat atop the Netflix charts since its release on May 15, with viewers hooked on the details surrounding her imprisonment.
During the early hours of July 31, 2022, when Mackenzie was just 17, she was arrested after being at the wheel of a car that crashed into a brick wall at over 100 mph, killing the two passengers onboard.
The teen would eventually be found guilty of killing two men after intentionally crashing in the premeditated murders of Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan, according to a judge.
Mackenzie would be sentenced to two concurrent life sentences, with the possibility of parole after 15 years, in 2023.
This came after she was convicted of 12 felony charges, which included four counts of murder, four counts of felonious assault, two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, one count of drug possession, and one count of possessing criminal tools.
In the months before Dominic's death, Mackenzie had sent him texts about sugar daddies and being “paid to please a man”.
It is among the many details that were left out of the true crime documentary, where Mackenzie's parents were also criticised for being too easy-going with their problematic daughter.
A judge described the convict as "hell on wheels," as she continues to maintain that she is innocent and cannot remember the crash.
Investigators went through around 93,000 text messages between Shirilla and Russo from January 2020 through July 30, 2022.
The US Sun also reviewed these messages, which were part of a 31,000-page document, as Mackenzie claimed she let a man do sexual acts with her feet "for money."
One text from Mackenzie which was sent on January 25, 2022, 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.”
Sugar daddies were also mentioned in texts on March 5, 2022, as Mackenzie told Dominic: “You’re going to show me you can be good and then I’m going to reflect how you treat me.”
“Yea u let a dude f*** your feet for money like 6 months ago. That should be even fr,” he brutally responded.
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.
Mackenzie was angry after Dominic cheated on her early in their relationship, and texts show that she was controlling and often threatened to break up with him, harm him, or take her own life.
Sex work is discussed between the pair on June 8, 2022, as Dominic penned: “Yea I love u but last time u started hanging with her u literally let her sell your body to that random dude.”
Mackenzie went on: “We were broken up and it was just my feet do you think about it more than I think about it.”
Her boyfriend claimed: “U ran off and became a prostitute,” claiming that she could "never tell" her family she ventured into sex work.
She described it as "my business" and "not prostitution," though this topic would come up again just a couple of weeks later.
Dominic wrote: “Kenzie there is always gonna be problems if u hanging with someone who got a dude to f*** your feet for money.”
The report was named Outcome: Suspected Sex Offenses, and it was produced by the Strongsville Police Department.
“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,” they explained in the documentary.
“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,” they concluded.
Mackenzie's previous appeal was rejected, but her team previously said: “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.”
