Gypsy Rose Blanchard has voiced her perspective on one of the most contentious true crime cases currently captivating the public — and she’s skeptical about convicted murderer Mackenzie Shirilla’s chances of regaining her freedom.
Released on parole in 2023 after serving time for her involvement in her mother’s death, the 34-year-old Blanchard shared her thoughts with TMZ about Netflix’s latest documentary, The Crash. The film, which premiered on May 15, delves into the tragic 2022 car accident that claimed the lives of two young men.
At the center of the case is Shirilla, who was 17 when she crashed her Toyota Camry into a brick wall in Strongsville, Ohio, on July 31, 2022. Prosecutors alleged the crash was intentional, asserting that Shirilla drove at approximately 100 mph, resulting in the deaths of her boyfriend, 20-year-old Dominic Russo, and their friend, 19-year-old Davion Flanagan. Surviving the crash, Shirilla was later found guilty on two counts of murder in 2023 and was sentenced to two concurrent terms of 15 years to life.
In her debut on-camera appearance for the Netflix documentary, Shirilla expressed deep regret over the incident, stating, “I have excessive amounts of remorse for Dominic, Davion, both of their families. This was not intentional, and I will do everything I can to prove that to the world and the families, and that’s it.”
Despite Shirilla’s heartfelt statement, Blanchard hinted that the documentary might not have bolstered Shirilla’s case for innocence.
“The time that she’s in prison right now, she needs to grow up and take accountability,” Blanchard told TMZ. “Remorse is something that maybe is not coming natural right now because maybe it’s something she hasn’t dealt with, internally and emotionally. But it’s going to hit her like a train.”
“When that happens, she needs to take those steps to do what she needs to to make amends with the victim’s family,” she continued.
Blanchard, who was granted parole after serving roughly 85% of a 10-year sentence, said she believes parole boards place significant weight on an inmate’s behavior behind bars, demonstrated remorse, and the views of victims’ families when considering release.
She also made it clear she doesn’t expect Shirilla to receive parole early.
“The parole board takes into consideration behavior in prison, but most importantly, remorse and [the victim’s] family,” Blanchard said.
Questions surrounding Shirilla’s level of remorse have surfaced before. Kat Crowder, a former inmate who spent six months incarcerated alongside her, previously told People, “From my observations of her in prison, she never had any behaviors that mirrored that of someone who was remorseful.”
Crowder added that what stood out most was Shirilla’s “nonchalant demeanor.”
During Shirilla’s trial, the judge famously described her as “literal hell on wheels.” Still, Shirilla and her family have consistently maintained that the crash was an accident caused by a medical episode rather than an intentional act.
Addressing that claim in The Crash, Shirilla was asked, “How does a medical emergency account for the control of the car?”
She responded, “I’m unsure because I have no recollection of that morning, but I know nothing about it was intentional because that’s not my character.”
Under her current sentence, Shirilla will become eligible for parole in 2037.
(function(d, s, id) {
var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
if (d.getElementById(id)) return;
js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;
js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&appId=823934954307605&version=v2.8”;
fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);
}(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’));