Mackenzie Shirilla told her mom she wants to be a life coach when she gets out, but her parole hearing isn’t until 2037

Mackenzie Shirilla, who is currently serving two concurrent sentences of 15 years to life at the Ohio Reformatory for Women, has shared a surprising aspiration for life after prison. The story gained traction when TMZ obtained audio of Shirilla telling her mother, Natalie, that she wants to become a life coach. Natalie tells her daughter she has been through an extraordinary amount and suggests those experiences could one day allow her to help others.

The conversation marks a notable shift from other recorded calls that have emerged from Shirilla’s time behind bars. In previous exchanges, she has chatted with her mom about boys she has been talking to and described how thinking about the fatal crash makes her feel physically ill.

Shirilla is not eligible for parole until September 2037, meaning any post-release plans remain a distant prospect. She was convicted in August 2023 of murdering her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, and friend Davion Flanagan in a 2022 crash in Strongsville, Ohio, in which prosecutors argued she intentionally drove her car into a building at 100 mph.

Netflix’s documentary has put the case back in the public eye

The renewed attention around Shirilla comes amid the release of The Crash, a Netflix documentary that has become one of the platform’s most-watched titles. The film reconstructs the case through interviews with families, friends, and investigators, and features Shirilla speaking on camera for the first time, with her attorney present throughout. Director Gareth Johnson noted that she had never spoken to police before or after her arrest, making the interview unprecedented.

Amid ongoing debate over Shirilla’s POTS blackout defense, the documentary gives her the first platform to state her position directly. In the interview, Shirilla maintains she has no memory of the period just before the crash and points to a 2017 diagnosis of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS, as a potential explanation. “I’m not saying I’m innocent,” she said. “I was a driver of a tragedy, but I’m not a murderer.”

When pressed on what she believes happened, Shirilla said, “The most logical speculation seems to be a medical emergency.” On the question of how she retained control of the vehicle during a supposed blackout, she said she was unsure, adding, “I know nothing about it was intentional, because that’s not in my character.” Her legal team presented the same POTS argument at trial.

The documentary also explores how investigators combed through Shirilla’s phone and social media for evidence. While that material was not used to determine guilt, the prosecution, led by Cuyahoga County assistant prosecutor Tim Troup, introduced her TikTok posts during sentencing as evidence of what he described as a shocking lack of remorse. Shirilla responded by saying, “I feel like anybody’s social media isn’t really them. It’s how they want the world to see them. And at the time that’s how my 17-year-old brain was wanting to be seen.”

The filmmakers only reveal at the end of Shirilla’s interview segment that her attorney had been present throughout. Her demeanor visibly shifts as she checks in with her lawyer before delivering a closing statement to the camera. “I’m big on the no intent,” she said. “There was no intent whatsoever there. 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.”

Johnson said the decision to show that moment was deliberate, as he wanted viewers to understand the circumstances of the interview. Shirilla remains part of an active appeals process, and the documentary shows her mother reviewing evidence she hopes to introduce, including text messages from an incident two weeks before the crash in which Shirilla claims Russo grabbed the steering wheel and tried to crash the car himself.

Her first appeal was denied. Producer Angharad Scott, noting that the Netflix documentary has drawn renewed public interest in the case alongside other high-profile Netflix crime stories, said she believes the family will exhaust every available legal avenue: “We know that the Shirillas will use every recourse available to them.”

Shirilla was sentenced on August 21, 2023, and her first parole hearing is scheduled for September 2037.