'Hell on Wheels' Mackenzie Shirilla Received Brutal Breakup Text Weeks Before Crashing Car Into Wall at 100MPH — Killing Her Boyfriend and Friend
Mackenzie Shirilla was convicted of murdering her boyfriend and his friend by driving her car into a wall at a high speed.
May 27 2026, Updated 5:55 p.m. ET
Mackenzie Shirilla received a brutal breakup text from her former boyfriend weeks before intentionally crashing her car into a brick building at over 100 mph, killing both her ex and a friend, RadarOnline.com has learned.
She was convicted of murdering her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, 20, and their pal Davion Flanagan, 19, in the horrific crash that took place on July 31, 2022.
A Tragic End to Two Lives
Mackenzie Shirilla's story is being told in a new Netflix documentary.
Shirilla's story has found its way back into the spotlight thanks to a new Netflix documentary titled The Crash.
The now 21-year-old is currently serving two concurrent sentences of 15 years to life after being convicted in August 2023 of murder, aggravated vehicular homicide and other charges.
Shirilla has long maintained that she suffered a medical emergency behind the wheel of her Toyota Camry, and drove it right into the building. However, prosecutors maintained the accident was a botched murder-suicide attempt, pointing to her fractured relationship with Russo.
Just weeks before the crime, Russo sent Shirilla a text message in which he lamented that life is too short.
Dominic Russo Wanted Out of the Relationship
Dominic Russo had recently sent her a breakup text.
"Kenzie u know i love u but i dont think we should be together at this point, there isnt very much time on earth," Russo wrote, mentioning that the couple were having "breakup fights" every week, and that "neither of us deserves that."
He then dropped the hammer, suggesting the two should "separate for a little while," in order to stop the constant fighting.
"i dont want u to think im abandoning you," he continued. "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 [sic] happiness somewhere else."
'This Was Murder'
Mackenzie Shirilla's car was torn in half by the force of the crash.
That text message was sent on July 2, 2022. In the early morning hours of July 31, Shirilla accelerated her car into a building in the Cleveland suburb of Strongsville, killing her passengers.
When first responders arrived at the scene, they found the car split in half, with Shirilla wedged between the driver's seat and the door. Russo and Flanagan were dead on arrival.
Shirilla pleaded that she lost control of the car before the crash, but surveillance video from a nearby camera showed her speeding down the road, before smashing through a business sign and slamming into the side of the building.
"This was not reckless driving, this was murder," a judge said when delivering her verdict in 2023. "She had a mission, and she executed it with precision. The decision was death."
Life Behind Bars
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Mackenzie Shirilla will be eligible for parole in 2037.
Shirilla was convicted on multiple counts, including aggravated vehicular homicide and felonious assault. An appeal she filed for a new trial was denied in March, meaning she will not be eligible for parole until 2037.
Interest in the case has been reignited following the release of The Crash on May 15, which features conversations with Shirilla from jail, as well as interviews with her family and the victims' loved ones.
"There was no intent whatsoever there," she insists in the Netflix documentary. "I have excessive amounts of remorse for Dominic, Davion [and] both of their families."
