Mackenzie Shirilla was slammed by her late boyfriend Dominic Russo’s sister after she shared a new selfie taken in prison while she serves time for his and their friend Davion Flanagan’s deaths.
Two days after the photo was posted, Russo’s sister, Christine Russo, told TMZ Two days after the photo was posted, Russo’s sister, Christine Russo, told TMZ that she did not approve of Shirilla, 21, posting the photo from behind bars. that she did not approve of Shirilla, 21, posting the photo from behind bars.
“As Dominic Russo’s sister, it is heartbreaking to see someone convicted in connection with my brother’s death appear to have a social media presence while our family is suffering every day,” Christine told the outlet on Wednesday, July 8. “While my brother is buried, seeing her post selfies, full face of makeup, and bragging how she is famous is painful and, to me, completely inconsistent with remorse.”
Christine also said she believes prison officials should investigate whether Shirilla is improperly accessing social media while in custody.
She went on to encourage anyone who feels similarly to contact the Ohio State Reformatory for Women and “respectfully ask the warden to investigate” whether Shirilla broke any prison rules by taking the photo.
“In my opinion, if these reports are accurate, they should be taken seriously, and I don’t understand why someone with a disciplinary history would continue to have privileges that allow this to happen,” she said. “Victims’ families should not have to watch the person responsible for their loved one’s death seek online attention while they continue to live with unimaginable loss.”
Christine also asked that people report influencers who allow Shirilla to appear in their livestreams. “These vile internet trolls harass and threaten myself, my children and my family and should be stopped,” she said.
Dominic’s sister issued the statement shortly after Shirilla’s support team took to her Instagram account on Monday, June 6, to share a new selfie of her taken behind bars.
Alongside the photo, the team shared an update about how she is doing in prison after the Ohio Supreme Court denied her lawyers’ attempt to have them reconsider her latest appeal in June. The team said she “will respectfully continue to do everything they can so that the merits of the brief can be heard, just as anyone else would do in their position.”
Shirilla was found guilty of multiple charges including four counts of murder in the 2022 deaths of Russo, 20 and Flanagan, 19. The pair died after they were passengers in Shirilla’s car when she drove into a brick wall while going 100mph in 2022.
After she was found guilty, she was sentenced to serve two consecutive terms of 15 years to life in prison. Shirilla is not eligible for parole until September 2037.
Shirilla has maintained her innocence and insisted she did not intentionally kill Russo and Flanagan in Netflix documentary The Crash.
After her lawyers’ appeal to the Ohio Supreme Court was denied, Shirilla’s legal team filed a new motion asking the court to reconsider its appeal on Tuesday, July 7, according to court documents viewed by WOIO. The Ohio Supreme Court has not responded to the request as of time of publication.
