Mackenzie Shirilla Kept ‘Face Full of Makeup’ and Calm Attitude in Prison, Inmate Claims

The name Mackenzie Shirilla came to prominence in 2022 after the 17-year-old Ohio teen was accused of murdering two people.

Recently, one of her fellow prison inmates made a startling revelation about the teenager, who reportedly did not behave like someone serving a lengthy prison sentence.

Kat Crowder, in an interview with PEOPLE, said she spent six months with Shirilla in prison. Crowder claimed that the teenager showed no expression of remorse in her behavior. In her words, “From my observations of her in prison, she never had any behaviors that mirrored those of someone who was remorseful.”

Crowder, who has since established herself as a social media influencer, noted that Shirilla remained extremely happy and carefree even behind bars. She described the teenager’s personality as nonchalant and noted that she paid extra attention to getting herself dressed every day with a face full of makeup.

She said, “If I were serving 15 years to life in prison, I would simply be devastated. I wouldn't be able to get myself up to put on makeup every day and do my hair, let alone have girlfriends. I think that's what was most shocking to me. She didn't even portray herself as someone who's quite possibly serving the rest of her life in prison."

Crowder said she was never close friends with Shirilla but observed her closely.

The then-teenager, who can apply for parole only after 2037, has had a documentary made about her case. According to Crowder, the documentary portrayed Shirilla in a far darker manner than how she appeared in prison.

The TikToker added, “From the way she sat down at that table, the way she spoke and the way she looked. We were never friends in prison, but I saw her for hours at a time each day. She was very girly and light, and [in] the documentary [she] came off as very dark and smug.”

A fatal crash killed Shirilla’s boyfriend, Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan. Since she was the one behind the wheel, the teenager was charged with homicide. Her trial was a lengthy one and raised many alarming suspicions about her real intention.

Shirilla was convicted by a 2023 bench trial and found guilty of premeditated murder. She was given two concurrent life sentences with parole eligibility after 15 years. Shirilla was incarcerated at the Ohio Reformatory for Women.

During a May 2025 interview, Shirilla’s family maintained their position that the fatal car crash was unintentional. They said their daughter was innocent and was falsely accused of murdering two people.

In the meantime, with the release of the Netflix documentary about the crash, Shirilla, its creators interviewed the. Maintaining her defence, she said, “I have no recollection of that morning, but I know nothing about it was intentional, because that’s not in my character.”