US4 min(s) read
Published 12:06 22 May 2026 GMT
Text messages exchanged between convicted killer Mackenzie Shirilla and her ex-boyfriend Dominic Russo have been released, revealing explosive arguments, threats, and disturbing exchanges in the months before the fatal 100mph crash that killed him.
The messages have resurfaced following the release of Netflix documentary The Crash, which has dominated streaming charts since debuting on May 15. The true crime series follows the case that saw Shirilla convicted over the deaths of Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan after prosecutors argued she intentionally drove her car into a brick wall in July 2022.
Shirilla was 17 years old at the time of the crash and was later sentenced in 2023 to two concurrent life sentences with the possibility of parole after 15 years. She was convicted on 12 felony charges, including 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.
Among the newly revealed messages is one sent by Shirilla on January 25, 2022, during an argument with Russo.
“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,” Russo 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).”
Shirilla then responded: “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.”
Investigators reportedly reviewed around 93,000 text messages exchanged between Shirilla and Russo between January 2020 and July 30, 2022, with the messages forming part of a massive 31,000-page document reviewed by The US Sun.
Other texts included arguments about money, “sugar daddies,” and allegations involving sex work.
In one exchange from March 5, 2022, Shirilla told Russo: “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,” Russo responded.
Shirilla replied: “We were broken up. LMAOOOAOO,” while Russo continued: “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,” Shirilla shot back.
According to friends and family, the pair had an on-and-off relationship for four years and lived together. Reports state Shirilla remained angry after Russo cheated on her early in their relationship, with texts allegedly showing repeated threats to break up with him, harm him, or take her own life.
Another exchange from June 8, 2022, saw Russo write: “Yea I love u but last time u started hanging with her u literally let her sell your body to that random dude.”
Shirilla responded: “We were broken up and it was just my feet do you think about it more than I think about it.”
“U ran off and became a prostitute,” Russo claimed, adding that she could "never tell" her family about it.
Shirilla described it as "my business" and "not prostitution."
The messages were later referenced in a Strongsville Police Department report titled Outcome: Suspected Sex Offenses.
“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 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.
Shirilla has continued to maintain that she is innocent and claims she cannot remember the crash. Her previous appeal was rejected, though her legal 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.”
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