The case of Mackenzie Shirilla, who was convicted of killing her ex-boyfriend Dominic Russo and friend Davion Flanagan in a car crash in July 2022 when she was a 17-year-old Strongsville High School student, is reaching maximum exposure.
Shirilla, now 20 and two years into concurrent 15-years-to-life prison sentences, is featured in Netflix’s new documentary The Crash. which is the streaming service’s most-watch movie since its release two weeks ago with almost 28 million views.
Shirilla maintains that a “medical emergency” caused her to black out shortly before hitting a brick wall at 100 mph and, according to a woman who spent time with her behind bars, thinks she can parlay her fame into TikTok or other social media income if she ever gets parole. (She’s first eligible in 2037.)
A possibility Dominic Russo’s family plans to eliminate.
This week, Christine Russo, Dominic’s sister who appared in the Netflix film, began raising awareness for House Bill 505, legislation moving through the Statehouse that would prevent convicted violent criminals from pocketing money they raise online for anything case-related.
It would “close a legal loophole that turns tragedy into a spectacle,” District 29 State Rep. Cindy Abrams, a co-sponsor of the bill, said in a statement. “We as a society have a moral obligation to uphold the law and should not be engaging in crowdfunding in support of potentially violent criminals.”
H.B. 505 can be seen as a 21st century update to the “Son of Sam” laws passed in statehouses throughout the country in the late 1970s. Fearing convicted serial killer David Berkowitz may score book deals during his 25-years-to-life sentence, legislators wrote bills barring violent criminals from making money off crimes they committed.
But Ohio’s version, which went into effect in 1995, doesn’t say anything about social media crowdfunding, which didn’t exist at the time.
Which is exactly what’s propelling the Russo family and awoken the public.
What Russo’s calling “Dom’s Law” would bar any violent offender from receiving any kind of sponsorship, payout, gift, brand collab, influencer checks, paid appearances or crowdfunding that originates on social media.
A Change.org petition on the issue has 34,800 signatures as of Tuesday afternoon.
We must “call on lawmakers to modernize these laws for the digital age and close the loopholes that allow convicted violent offenders to turn tragedy into personal gain,” Russo wrote on the petition’s page.
“Violent crime should not become a pathway to fame, money, influence, or opportunity.”
Subscribe to Cleveland Scene newsletters.
Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Or sign up for our RSS Feed
