When you’re locked up, a friendly pen pal can feel like a lifeline. But newly surfaced prison phone call audio suggests Mackenzie Shirilla’s correspondence has gone well beyond casual chitchat.
In the recorded conversation with her mother, Natalie, Shirilla gushes about the growing roster of men she’s been messaging from behind bars. The names come pouring out—Kevin, Sam, Phil—each one earning enthusiastic praise. When discussing a man named Kevin, she doesn’t hold back:“I love him. I don’t know who that is, but I love him. I don’t know how old he is. I don’t even really care that much. I just love him. Like, he’s so fun to talk to.”She even catches herself laughing at the pattern, admitting,“It’s all boys. That’s so bad.”
The casual tone of the exchange stands in stark contrast to her legal situation. Shirilla is currently serving time in Ohio following her 2023 conviction on multiple murder-related charges in connection with a deadly 2022 crash that killed her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, and friend Davion Flanagan. Prosecutors argued she intentionally drove nearly 100 mph into a brick wall. Yet on this recorded call, she’s defending her culpability:“The only thing that I’m guilty of is driving.”
This latest audio comes hot on the heels of allegations from former inmate Kat Crowder, who told media outlets that Shirilla was active on prison pen-pal and sugar daddy websites while incarcerated—and allegedly receiving money, gifts, and attention from men on the outside. The newly obtained recording appears to corroborate that claim, painting a picture of someone who’s built quite the male fanbase while serving her sentence.
Whether these connections are romantic in nature, financially motivated, or simply a means of passing time in prison remains unclear. What is clear: Shirilla’s ability to attract and maintain correspondence with multiple men while incarcerated raises questions about how she’s navigating her time behind bars and what her life looks like now.
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.