Even while Mackenzie Shirilla was embroiled in a high-stakes murder trial for the fatal 2022 crash that claimed the lives of her boyfriend and friend, her thoughts often drifted to the comforts she missed from home.
Recorded conversations from the Cuyahoga County Jail reveal Mackenzie’s frustration over missing her iPad, dissatisfaction with jail food, and her intrigue with the media spotlight on her case.
Mackenzie Shirilla Longs For iPad, Criticizes Jail Food
In one particular call, which The U.S. Sun released on May 27, Mackenzie’s mother, Natalie Shirilla, inquired about her daughter’s sleeping patterns while incarcerated.
Mackenzie admitted to waking up often during the night and expressed a strong desire for her iPad, saying, “I really want my iPad, though.”
When Natalie speculated about when Mackenzie might receive the device, Mackenzie urgently requested her mother’s help, pleading, “Could you call and ask? Please, please, please?”
“No I can’t,” her mom replied. “Because, the last time I called about your thing, they’re like, ‘If I do this and that’s special treatment.’ You know, you’ll get it when you get it.”
The response appeared to aggravate Mackenzie, who replied, “Why the f–k man?”
She also complained about the quality of the food in jail, seemingly mirroring comments her alleged ex-girlfriend Shyann Topping made in a series of TikToks, claiming Mackenzie told her, “I don’t eat prison food” and instead paid to purchase items from the commissary.
Mackenzie Shirilla and Her Mom Talk About Media Attention, Hollywood Fame
While in jail, Mackenzie and her mom also discussed the media attention the case was receiving.
“Kenzie,” her mom told her in another call obtained by The U.S. Sun, “it’s on the Today show.”
Mackenzie appeared shocked as she said, “What?”
“I’m telling you,” her mom told her, “they’re about to get ready for the biggest f–king plot twist of the century, right?”
Mackenzie asked her mother what the media was saying about her, but after Natalie clarified that the story hadn’t been on television and was only included in the online coverage, the teen stopped responding.
In another exchange, Mackenzie and her mom talked about how others had used the media attention to start a career in Hollywood, per The U.S. Sun.
“Remember that one guy who got arrested for murder,” Mackenzie asked, “and he became like a model because he was just like… everyone was like loving his mugshot?”
Her mom laughed and confirmed, “Hell yeah, that was hot. I remember that guy,” before Mackenzie went on to tell her he’d gone on to become an actor and was in a movie she’d seen.
“See, now he was arrested for murder, he probably didn’t do anything,” her mother told her. “That’s messed up.”
In another phone call obtained by 19 News May 26, Natalie discussed why she believed her daughter’s case should be viewed differently than other murder cases.
“I feel like people that are convicted of murder, like with guns and knives and the hellacious ways, should be in a different category than vehicular, like, car accident people,” she told her daughter. “Like that guy that hit that fireman on the road who got charged and convicted with murder. He doesn’t fall in the same category of actual murderers.”
What Happened to Mackenzie Shirilla?
Mackenzie was convicted in August 2023 of four counts of murder, four counts of felonious assault and two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide after prosecutors said she intentionally drove 100 mph into a brick wall, killing boyfriend Dominic Russo, 20, and their friend Davion Flanagan, 19.
Evidence showed that she had pressed the accelerator “to its full extent” before the fatal crash, according to a statement from the Cuyahuga County Office of the Prosecuting Attorney.
Netflix’s The Crash revisits the fatal 2022 wreck and the volatile relationship between Mackenzie and Dominic in the months before his death.
Despite the conviction, Mackenzie and her family continue to insist she that never would have intentionally hurt Davion or Dominic and believe that crash was likely the result of a medical emergency.
After her conviction, in another call from jail obtained by Fox 8 May 27, Mackenzie and her mom discussed her plans to appeal the judge’s verdict, with Mackenzie telling her mom, “I don’t want you guys to go broke fighting for me for a lost cause.”
Her mother assured her it was “not a lost cause.”
The Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals denied her request for an appeal in March after ruling that it had been filed one day past the jurisdictional deadline, according to Court TV. She is currently behind bars at the Ohio Reformatory for Women.