Mackenzie Shirilla Case: The FULL interview with Dominic Russo's sister

[0:09] And good afternoon. I'm Dan DeRose with 19 News, and this is from someone who knows. It's a chance for you to get more of a perspective on a story, more than what we can give you on Channel 19, where we can bring you two, three minutes worth of a story. Here we can really get into the details. You're going to hear full interviews on a given topic. Today we are talking about the case that continues to evolve, the tragedy that took the life of two young men in Strongsville. [0:36] We're of course talking about Mackenzie Schirrilla, who was convicted in 2023 for purposely driving her car at 100 miles an hour, never hitting the brakes, and slamming into a sign and the side of a brick building. That crash killed her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, and their friend Davian Flanagan. [0:59] Since then, it has been a series of emotional trials and hearings. Mackenzie has since been convicted of two counts of murder, sentenced to prison for life, with her first chance of parole coming at 15 years. [1:15] But it's more than that. Her attorney is now asking for an appeal. This week, we heard from the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office, who said that they feel confident that any court that looks at the overwhelming evidence will uphold her conviction. [1:32] Before we hear from Dominic's sister, Christine Russo, let's get into this appeal process. We're going to talk to Dominic's sister, who is working on Dom's Law, trying to make sure that Mackenzie cannot profit from her quote-unquote fame while she sits in prison. [1:55] But first, let's get to Arvasi Porcos, who is looking at this latest attempt for an appeal by her attorneys while she sits in prison. [2:09] The evidence was overwhelming. Surveillance video, a black box, and a car traveling nearly 100 miles per hour that never once hit the brakes. [2:18] In 2023, a judge found Mackenzie Schirrilla guilty of murder in the deaths of her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, and their friend, Davion Flanagan. [2:27] She was sentenced to life in prison with eligibility for parole after 15 years served. [2:32] Her actions were controlled, methodical, deliberate. [2:37] But now, Schirrilla is asking the Ohio Supreme Court to take a look at her case after her previous appeals were denied. [2:43] Not because of new evidence or a legal bombshell, but because of one day. [2:47] Court records show her attorneys missed the deadline to file a legal challenge to her conviction by a single day. [2:54] The reason? They forgot 2024 was a leap year. [2:58] Under Ohio law, convicted defendants have exactly 365 days after their trial transcripts are filed to challenge her conviction. [3:06] Prosecutors say that Schirrilla's clock started October 23, 2023, and her attorneys filed one day late, on October 24, 2024. [3:15] Schirrilla's new attorneys filed another appeal, on April 27, 2026, with the Ohio Supreme Court. [3:22] They argued the clock should have started later, pointing to a separate transcript filed weeks after the trial's record. [3:28] Her attorneys also say she would have been acquitted in her murder case had she received the effective assistance of counsel. [3:34] The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office feels this latest appeal should be tossed out. [3:39] On Wednesday, they released a statement, making it clear they believe that Mackenzie Schirrilla is guilty of murder. [3:45] The statement goes on to say, [3:47] We are confident that any court that reviews this case will come to the same conclusion. [3:51] The Ohio Supreme Court has not yet decided whether it will even hear Schirrilla's appeal. [3:56] Her first parole hearing is scheduled for 2037. [3:59] Fassi Prokos, 19 News. [4:01] So that's where the appeal process stands, and that's all happening as we speak. [4:07] These last couple of weeks, this has all played out. [4:10] Now, of course, there is the Netflix documentary that has brought so much notoriety to this case, [4:16] including the quote-unquote fame or status of Mackenzie Schirrilla, the teenager convicted in this case. [4:25] And it is Dom's sister, Christine Russo, who is very concerned about the fact that Mackenzie and her family are so adept at social media [4:38] and potentially making hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars with this case going viral national, worldwide [4:47] because of that Netflix documentary. [4:51] And Dom's sister is not going to take this laying down. [4:54] She is going to and is putting up a fight. [4:57] We're going to get into that fight after we come back from a short break. [5:17] Detective Hazu, I'm the one who's been investigating the crash. [5:34] You're under arrest for aggravated murder times two, okay? [5:38] Nobody's going to ask you any questions. [5:40] Nobody's going to bother you. [5:41] And welcome back to From Someone Who Knows. [6:17] We continue to follow the case of Mackenzie Schirrilla, the teenage girl from Strongsville [6:23] who was convicted of two counts of murder for purposely running her car at 100 miles an hour into a brick sign [6:30] and then a brick building. [6:31] That crash killed her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, Dom Russo, [6:36] and his friend, Davian Flanagan. [6:39] Now, the issue of the Netflix documentary and the social media status of Mackenzie Schirrilla [6:45] and her family. [6:47] Should she be able to profit while she sits in prison? [6:51] The state of Ohio has a Son of Sam law. [6:55] This is a law that's been in place for quite a few years. [6:58] It says that anyone in prison convicted of such a felony, like murder, cannot sell book rights, TV rights, movie rights, interviews. [7:08] They cannot make money from those areas. [7:12] But that law was obviously put in place before social media, before the chance to monetize your name, your image, [7:22] and get out there and, in this case, be able to maybe still monetize and make money while Mackenzie is sitting in prison. [7:32] That does not sit well with Christine Russo. [7:35] One of the reasons we call this segment From Someone Who Knows is we bring you full interviews from somebody who's wrapped up in this, [7:43] somebody who knows more about this than any of us can even imagine. [7:48] So, here is the full interview of Christine Russo and her mission to get past what she's calling Dom's Law. [7:57] Take a look. [7:58] I had the idea a couple of weeks ago. [8:03] The background of it is that, so my brother's murderer, who I will not name, [8:10] she has been obsessed with herself and being social media famous from the very beginning. [8:19] That seems to be all she cares about. [8:21] Super self-absorbed. [8:22] Even right after she killed my brother, she laid in a hospital bed making TikToks within hours of killing two people. [8:29] They sat there on Instagram trying to get modeling gigs hours after killing two people. [8:35] Seems to be listening to the calls. [8:37] That's pretty much all they care about. [8:38] Her mom's telling her to write a book. [8:41] They very much go back and forth laughing about how famous this case has gotten. [8:48] Things like that. [8:50] So, a couple weeks ago, I was just thinking how I could stop that. [8:54] Well, first it was like, how would I feel when, if she got out, hopefully she doesn't get out, [9:00] but if she got out, how would I feel if she became Gypsy Rose and, you know, she has all this fame and fortune. [9:07] Like, it would be infuriating. [9:10] Like, I don't know how to even express how that would make our family feel. [9:14] If she got notoriety, it's everything she's ever wanted. [9:17] So, I came up with, it's called Dom's Law, Victims Before Influencers, Modernizing the Son of Sam's Law. [9:26] So, in the state of Ohio, the Son of Sam's Law is basically, it prevents criminals from profiting off of their crimes. [9:37] violent criminals, but that was written in the 1970s. [9:42] So, that basically covered, like, book sales or writing of books, journals, news, news articles, things of that sort. [9:53] Now, it's 2026 and there's social media and it's time to re-look at these laws. [9:59] This law would cover social media. [10:05] So, the victims before influencers is that no victim's family should have to watch the person who killed their loved one [10:12] turn that crime into attention, followers, donations, sponsorships, merchandise, paid interviews, documentaries, [10:21] social media income, or other personal benefits. [10:23] This would basically protect, it would make it so Kenzie, when she came out, my brother's murderer, [10:33] wasn't able to profit or get rich and famous, trying to find loopholes and things of the sort. [10:39] Would cover TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, podcasts, and affiliate links. [10:44] And it is going to go into, it will go into, I know you can cut this out, hold on. [10:53] Yeah, you're good. [10:54] So, this is a good, this, please put this one in here. [10:57] For, for notoriety seeking offenders, attention itself is the ultimate currency. [11:03] Convicted violent offenders can easily convert public attention into paid clicks, live stream gifts, [11:09] merchandise, paid appearances, and crowdfunding. [11:12] Often hiding these profits behind family members, fan pages, LLCs, or other loopholes. [11:19] Our current laws are outdated because they are written long before social media. [11:23] So, this is something that's going to, hopefully, prevent her or the family finding any loopholes [11:29] into getting her fame and fortune when she gets out. [11:32] So, you just want to modernize this law a little bit, like you said, because it's 2026. [11:36] Yeah, it needs to be looked at. [11:37] So, modernizing, I would call it the Dom's Law, or really create its own law in itself. [11:41] You want to create a law? [11:42] Yes. [11:43] Called Dom's Law? [11:44] Yes. [11:44] With all of this? [11:46] Correct. [11:46] But it's already called, it's already Son of Sam's Law, right? [11:50] There is a Son of Sam's, but this is making a new, modernized law. [11:57] Like, a completely new one. [11:59] So, you want to create a new law, then, instead of just modernize the law that there already is? [12:02] Yes. [12:02] Okay, perfect. [12:03] And call it Dom's Law? [12:04] Yes. [12:05] And, of course, you know, Davion is a part of this, as well. [12:10] This would also be with him, too. [12:11] I am going to change, probably, the name and put him on it. [12:16] I just was, I like the name of Dom's Law, but I'm going to put Davion on it, as well. [12:21] Yeah. [12:22] And I was looking at the petition that you had online. [12:24] Like, so you put up a few bullet points, so, you know, require disclosure, give courts, [12:30] parole board authority to impose individualized conditions, block earnings and benefits, [12:36] like you were just saying, allow, or cover non-cash perks, et cetera, and, like, apply [12:42] to a limited set of serious violent offenses. [12:44] So, there's just a bullet point list, like, that you'd want to add to that, right? [12:48] Is that what you were talking about earlier? [12:49] Yes. [12:50] Okay. [12:50] Yep. [12:51] Perfect. [12:51] So, I saw that on the petition that you have more than 15,000 signatures. [12:59] How does that make you feel? [13:00] It's awesome. [13:01] There's actually 16,125 signatures as of right now, and I think I just put it out a little [13:07] over 12 hours ago-ish, in the middle of the night I popped it out. [13:12] The support behind everybody with supporting our family and Dom and Davion and the victims, [13:20] it really overpowers all, you know, the negativity that I've seen or anything that the Sherrillas [13:25] have to say. [13:26] So, I'm so happy with that. [13:28] There's hundreds of comments as well, people leaving videos on the site, strangers, complete [13:35] strangers that are, like, leaving, you know, their condolences. [13:38] Yeah, I'm really, really happy with how it's going in this short amount of time. [13:43] Do you hope it continues to grow? [13:47] I don't want to stop this until it has, until it becomes a law, so I'm hoping it continues [13:52] to grow. [13:52] So, I need to reach our state reps, so I would like, if anybody has any connections or anything [14:03] like that or any suggestions, because this is all new for me, I've never tried to get [14:09] a law passed, so if anybody has any suggestions or, you know, let me know, but, or if anybody's [14:15] watching this and want to be a part of it also, like, please reach out to me. [14:18] My email's TheBigSisterUnhinged at Outlook.com. [14:22] I was just going to ask, too, what would be the next step to get this to lawmakers, then? [14:27] Once we obtain enough signatures, then we call for it, or I think the House or the Senate, [14:32] to see it, and then it goes from there. [14:35] How many do you need? [14:38] I'm not sure. [14:39] I could Google it. [14:41] That's okay. [14:41] I tried to Google it last night, and I couldn't find it. [14:43] It was very, like, vague. [14:45] So, I have another, hold on one second. [14:50] How many? [14:52] It came right up in Ohio. [14:54] So, I have, let me get her name really quick. [14:57] Hold on, guys, because I want to give her, she actually really helped me and did it. [15:02] Her name is, all right. [15:03] I created a petition. [15:08] Yeah, her mom was murdered, and she started this herself. [15:14] I think her mother was murdered in 2024, and she got a law passed. [15:18] So, she reached out to me and is helping me with DOMS. [15:22] So, did you create this law or her? [15:24] Well, I created it. [15:26] You created it. [15:27] She just kind of, yes, like, helped me. [15:30] So, you kind of coded it together? [15:31] Yes. [15:32] Yep. [15:33] So, she is a nonprofit that helped me put it out there, basically, like, get it together for me, show me the ropes. [15:40] But it's the Silver Lining of Hope Incorporated, founded by Megan Tomlinson, in honor of her mom, Leslie Hope Houston, who was killed in 2024. [15:49] So, she is, she just showed me what to do, basically, you know what I'm saying? [15:54] Yeah. [15:55] When you look at the Son of Sam's law, or that law, and you're comparing it to this new law, this modernized version for DOMS law, [16:04] is there anything you want to be taken off or just kind of add to it? [16:08] Just add to it. [16:09] So, when it was written, it was basically, like I said, just about violent criminals not profiting off of their crimes. [16:19] But there was no social media or even internet, I don't think, then. [16:23] So, it needs to be, like, completely relooked at and rewritten. [16:27] There are so many loopholes nowadays that these criminals are getting around. [16:33] I've had people reach out to me, and since I posted it 12 hours ago, I've had multiple people reach out to me and say, like, you know, [16:39] my family member so-and-so was murdered, and their murderer came out and made reels about it and, you know, got TikTok famous or things like that. [16:47] So, within hours, I've already gotten a huge amount of people, like, oh, this has happened to them. [16:53] So, it's not just a DOM thing. [16:55] You know what I mean? [16:55] It's like, this really happens. [16:57] And especially with social media nowadays, with the obsession with true crime and, what's it called, beautifying, [17:08] that's the word I'm looking for, sensationalizing murderers and serial killers. [17:13] You know what I'm saying? [17:13] It's a taboo thing people are interested in. [17:16] So, nowadays, it definitely needs to be relooked at and redone. [17:21] I don't think I have any more questions. [17:26] Is there anything else you would like to add that we missed, or maybe, what do you think DOM would think about this if he were seeing it? [17:33] DOM, I think, would be all for it. [17:38] Like, he, I couldn't even begin to explain what I think that he would think, but what I really can't wait is, is to see her face and her family's face when they hear about this and when it gets signed into a law and they can't profit anymore off of my brother's murder. [17:54] So, that's what I'm really looking forward to, really. [17:58] That'll really just burst their bubble, I think, because that's kind of all they care about. [18:02] In the calls, you can even hear her when my brother's murderer gets upset and her mother says, oh, just use this to go write your book. [18:11] Just start writing that book and all of the, I interviewed two inmates yesterday on my podcast, and the one told me, Cheyenne told me, that Kenzie, my brother's murderer, Steady, is writing a book for this reason, and that she plans on getting out shortly and becoming, she's a model. [18:31] She is set on that, becoming famous. [18:34] She's explained this and stated this to her prison, like, fellow inmates and things like that. [18:41] So, she's going to be pretty upset if this gets passed. [18:44] Does that make you bad, hearing that, that she wants to do all this stuff? [18:47] Yes, because Dom didn't have a chance to. [18:50] He didn't have a chance to do anything, you know, and she, like, ended his life. [18:56] I don't think she understands the severity of her crime at all. [18:59] Like, Dom's never coming back, you know, and why in a million years would you think you can get out of jail? [19:04] Why would you even want, I don't know. [19:05] I just, if she felt bad or remorseful or guilty, I don't think she'd be sitting there planning her future, like, with modeling and, I don't know. [19:16] There's just no remorse. [19:19] Again, that was the full interview with Christine Russo. [19:22] That is Dominic Russo's older sister. [19:25] She is working on his behalf to try and get Dom's law passed. [19:30] She does not want Mackenzie Schirrilla to be able to profit in any way. [19:34] The state of Ohio does have a son-of-sam law, of course, named after the serial killer, [19:40] that says murderers, convicted felons of violent crimes, cannot sell movie rights, book rights, cannot get paid for interviews. [19:50] But that law, obviously, is quite a bit old and does not cover social media. [19:56] Christine Russo is exactly right. [19:58] This may be a loophole, and I imagine there will be lawmakers who will readily snap this up and get this passed. [20:08] I can't see there being an issue. [20:10] This would be a law that will have bipartisan support, more than likely, and should be an easy pass. [20:19] If they can't make money off of selling a book, they shouldn't be able to make money, according to Christine Russo, [20:25] by selling their story on social media as it's been monetized. [20:30] So that's a very passionate interview. [20:34] Clearly a sister who wants to continue on the legacy of her brother and that of Davion Flanagan. [20:43] Again, she is someone who knows. [20:46] This is a segment we do every week. [20:48] We have previous episodes that you can watch. [20:53] They span all different kinds of topics. [20:55] There is a QR code that will take you to cleveland19.com to watch past episodes from someone who knows. [21:04] That's going to wrap it up for this week's segment. [21:07] I'm Dan DeRose with 19 News. [21:09] I hope you have a good afternoon. [21:10] And this has been From Someone Who Knows.