She is serving a life sentence for the deaths of her boyfriend and friend after she alone survived a deadly crash. It will be over a decade before she is eligible for parole.
A former inmate shares her account of Shirilla’s demeanor — describing someone far different from how she portrayed herself in court.
Shirilla’s most ardent defender has been her father. It may cost him his job.
The infamous Mackenzie Shirilla appears in this mugshot. (Photo Credit: Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction)
What’s she like behind bars?
Mary Katherine Crowder spent over six months imprisoned at the Ohio Reformatory for Women.
She is now out, and has taken to TikTok to share her experiences behind bars.
A couple of videos that have drawn a particular amount of attention describe her account of Shirilla behind bars.
She likened her to a “queen bee.”
According to Crowder, Shirilla’s demeanor and styling seemed to treat the prison “like a high school popularity contest.”
Crowder describes Shirilla as giggling, smiling, and socializing alongside a group of other young inmates.
Unlike Crowder, who is no longer incarcerated, Shirilla is serving concurrent 15-to-life sentences for the 2022 crash that killed Dominic Russo (her boyfriend) and Davion Flanagan.
Speaking of her love life, apparently she’s doing well in that department.
Crowder describes Shirilla as flaunting hickeys and similar love bites from hooking up with fellow inmates.
Now, all of this sounds pretty normal for a pretty young adult behind bars. But it’s gaining attention because Shirilla’s vibe in documentaries has shown a wildly different tone.
She’ll be eligible for parole in just over a decade
In 2023, prosecutors told the court that Shirilla had intentionally driven the vehicle into a building.
They argued that she had allegedly accelerated to nearly 100 miles per hour before slamming into the Strongsville, Ohio structure.
Shirilla survived. Russo and Flanagan did not.
The jury agreed with the prosecution’s case, convicting her for the deaths of her boyfriend and friend.
Shirilla is serving concurrent life sentences. She will, however, be eligible for parole in 2037.
In the Netflix documentary, The Crash, Steve Shirilla spoke in his daughter’s defense.
Not only did he maintain his daughter’s innocence, but he made controversial comments — defending her marijuana use (still controversial in some corners of the country), suggesting that Russo’s finances are why she dated him for four years, and denying reports that she’d been a high school bully.
Cleveland 19 News reports that he has now been placed on administrative leave at Mary Queen of Peace School, a private Catholic school.
“We are investigating allegations made on social media that one of our teachers has demonstrated poor judgement,” the school reported in an email to parents. “The investigation is ongoing.”
Shirilla’s father sees her as an innocent girl who survived a deadly crash. She portrayed herself as mournful and haunted on screen. Behind bars, however, Crowder had a different impression.
“I Love Lucy” star Lucille Ball was synonymous with comedic misadventures. Fortunately, the star ingredient of her salad dressing didn’t make it taste funny.
Mashed – Fast Food, Celebrity Chefs, Grocery, Reviews
Sen. Robert Myers, R-North Pole, speaks on House Bill 57 in the Alaska Senate on Monday, April 28, 2025. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
Hospitals, fire stations and clinics in Alaska may soon have ‘baby boxes’ able to safely and anonymously accept infants surrendered by parents who may be unable to care for them.
In a 35-5 vote Monday, the Alaska House of Representatives approved Senate Bill 9, amending the state’s safe-surrender law for infants to permit the construction of unmanned drop-off locations at public facilities. The Senate initially approved the bill in April.
SB 9, from Rep. Robb Myers, R-North Pole, is similar to legislation that has already been enacted by 22 other states.
“Safe surrender laws are a tool to help save lives,” Myers said in a prepared statement after the bill passed. “SB 9 puts another tool in the kit to help parents in crisis and keep babies in safe environments instead of the side of the road.”
The Senate voted 20-0 on Tuesday to accept the amended version of SB 9 passed by the House on Monday, an act that will send the bill to Gov. Mike Dunleavy for enactment or veto.
Rep. Frank Tomaszewski, R-Fairbanks, sponsored the bill in the House and explained that it offers an alternative to Alaska’s existing safe-surrender law, which already permits someone to surrender an infant less than 21 days old to a responsible person.
Rep. Zack Fields, D-Anchorage, was one of a handful of legislators who voted against the bill. He said he was concerned about the implications for surrendering an infant who may have been kidnapped.
They’re both blonde, brash veterans of the reality TV trenches who launched political campaigns that initially seemed like practical jokes but met with surprising success.
Spencer Pratt accepts the award for Snapchatter of the Year onstage during the 10th Annual Shorty Awards at PlayStation Theater on April 15, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for Shorty Awards)
Yes, Trump stopped just short of making an endorsement this week, saying that he would like to see Pratt “do well” in the LA mayoral race.
His reason? The president’s tepid support had nothing to do with policy and everything to do with Spencer’s rumored loyalties.
Asked if he sees himself in Pratt, Trump turned things around and wondered if Pratt sees himself as a product of MAGA culture.
“I’d like to see him do well — he’s a character,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday, adding:
“I don’t know, I don’t know him. I assume he probably supports me. Does he support me?… I heard he does. I heard he’s a big MAGA person. He’s doing well.”
From there, Trump returned to his favorite topic of all (other than himself), and began venting about the 2020 presidential election. He griped about the “really rigged vote in California,” saying that “the elections are very dishonest.”
“If we had Jesus Christ come down and count the votes, I would have won California,” he added. “Because I do great with Hispanics. But it’s a rigged vote.”
Yes, it’s the kind of quote that would have occupied an entire week-long news cycle with any other politician in US history.
And it’s a time when many Americans don’t think twice about electing a TV personality with zero political experience to manage one of the world’s largest economies.
Pratt has not yet publicly reacted to Trump’s pseudo-endorsement, but you can be sure that he and his team are loving the free press.
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy said Tuesday he is ordering state lawmakers into a special session to force a new decision on his top priority: property tax breaks for the company proposing to build a massive pipeline system to ship natural gas from the North Slope to tidewater.
Dunleavy outlined his plan during a news conference at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference in Anchorage.
The special session, to start 10 a.m. Thursday morning, “will go on as long as they need to come up with a decision,” he said at the news conference.
The Legislature’s ongoing regular session ends at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday night, and legislators will enter special session the following morning.
The governor has characterized property tax-relief for the project as his top priority, and at the news conference he accused lawmakers of risking Alaska’s future by rejecting his plan.
The bill would replace state and local petroleum property taxes with an “alternative volumetric tax” on natural gas that would eventually flow through the pipeline. That gives Glenfarne Group, the company developing the pipeline in conjunction with the state, a tax break that its leaders have said is necessary to attract investors.
Negotiations to pass the governor’s preferred legislation fell apart on Monday, and Dunleavy blamed lawmakers for that outcome.
“This is a decision on the part of a handful of folks in Juneau who wish, for whatever reason I don’t understand, (to) play with the future of Alaska,” he said at the news conference.
Legislative critics of Dunleavy’s approach said Glenfarne had provided too little information on its cost estimates, thus making it impossible for them to determine whether the proposed tax break was appropriate. Some argued that the process had been too rushed. Dunleavy introduced his proposal in March, with the regular session half over.
But the governor had harsh words for those lawmakers. He said they were focused on the wrong things after an extremely cold winter that strained energy supplies in the populated Railbelt corridor.
“Last night there was time to shove a spay and neuter bill into an invasive species bill in (House) Finance,” he said at Tuesday’s news conference. “So Rome is burning and we’re shoving a spay and neuter bill into an invasive species bill.”
Glenfarne’s display at the entrance to the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference is seen on May 19, 2026. Glenfarne, the company proposing to build a massive natural pipeline to deliver North Slope natural gas to tidewater in Southcentral Alaska, is a major sponsor of the conference. Gov. Mike Dunleavy wants the legislature to approve a property tax break to help Glenfarne finance the project. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Dunleavy was referring to a popular bill to establish a statewide spay and neuter fund, House Bill 258, which was combined during Monday’s House Finance Committee meeting with another bill related to animals, Senate Bill 174, that would establish a state invasive species council. It has since been removed from the bill.
U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, a featured speaker at the conference, also nudged lawmakers to accept Dunleavy’s plan.
As a former governor of North Dakota, Burgum said he considered it “inappropriate” for him to insert himself into Alaska legislative business. However, he said lawmakers should focus on getting the gas pipeline built before worrying about how the revenues from it would be allocated.
“The key thing for when we’re competing (for) capital that can go anywhere around the world, the key thing for Alaska is: Get the project,” he said at the news conference. Alaskans should not worry about the revenue distributions until after a project is built and providing its promised myriad economic benefits, he said.
Burgum’s comments at the news conference echoed comments he made about the gas pipeline during his address at the conference.
“That project has to happen. And I would just invite Alaska to not get in your own way if you’re worrying about, ‘How do we divide up the pie,’ and the pie hasn’t even been baked yet,” he said. He called the gasline “a generational, transformational project that’s going to affect the state, the communities, the prosperity, the universities. I mean, the benefits of this thing are unbelievable.”
But lawmakers say those benefits have not been made clear to them, and neither have the cost tradeoffs.
Senate President Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage, did not mince words in a newsletter she issued Tuesday morning that said the governor has demanded that lawmakers “pass his version of a gas pipeline bill that no one is allowed to know much about.”
“His version of a gas pipeline defies our Constitution – ignoring resource development for benefit of Alaskans (benefit for a private company), surrenders our taxing authority (removes local taxation authority, forbids financial transparency, logical financial assessment),” Giessel’s newsletter said.
Dunleavy’s decision to veto a pension-overhaul bill that had been two years in the making after lawmakers rejected this gas pipeline bill was a “transactional” decision that is “the worst possible way to make public policy,” she said.
The rising cost of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel is forcing companies that move people and goods to recoup some of the additional expense, including adding fuel surcharges to ticket prices and freight rates, with the surcharge changing as often as every week.
The U.S. Postal Service is doing the same thing. Its temporary price increase which went into effect in late April is 8% on Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, USPS Ground Advantage and Parcel Select.
Though the surcharge is set to remain in place until Jan. 17, 2027, the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors and the Postal Regulatory Commission could raise or lower it at any time — or vote to extend the add-on.
In addition to mailing packages, Alaskans will pay the high cost of fuel when they fly or ship goods into or out of the state. As of last week, the surcharges ranged 6% to more than 30%.
The U.S. war on Iran, along with the Persian Gulf nation’s retaliatory response to close off the Strait of Hormuz to oil tanker traffic, have sent global oil prices up 75% since the start of the year, driving up the price at the pump for gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and other refined products.
The average price for gasoline across the United States is up 40% from a year ago, with diesel and jet fuel up 60% to 70%, according to companies that track commodity prices.
The national average for gasoline last week was over $4.50 a gallon, up from $3.19 a year ago, according to AAA. Last week’s average was over $5.25 in Alaska, and more than $6 in California, the highest in the nation, AAA reported.
Airlines nationwide have raised baggage fees and other charges, in addition to higher air fares, rather than impose fuel-specific passenger ticket surcharges.
Alaska Airlines last month raised its checked-bag fees $5 for the first bag (now $45) and $10 for a second bag (now $55).
There is no change to the free bags allowed for Alaska residents who sign up for the airline’s Club 49 program, which allows three free checked bags for in-state travel and two bags for out-of-state flights.
The airline’s jet fuel costs in the first three months of this year averaged $2.98 a gallon, according to its first-quarter financial report. But the company was expecting April’s bills to average around $4.75 a gallon.
The higher price anticipated for April, May and June “adds approximately $600 million of expense to the second quarter,” the company announced. “We expect to consume approximately 297 million gallons of fuel in the quarter based on our current capacity plan.”
Juneau-based Alaska Seaplanes and its partner Island Air Express based on Prince of Wales Island operate about 20 aircraft serving scheduled routes in Southeast. They imposed a 6% surcharge on all fares in mid-March.
The company cites a nearly 40% increase in fuel costs.
“We just are not able to absorb that,” said company spokesman Andy Kline. “We didn’t want to roll that cost into our fares, because we want it to be temporary,” he said. “We want it to reflect directly the cost that we’re taking on with the fuel.”
The company buys Jet A fuel for its turbine-powered aircraft, and aviation gas for its piston-driven planes.
Alaska Marines Lines, which provides weekly freight barge service from Seattle to Southeast Alaska, as of last week was adding an 18.5% surcharge on all shipments. The rate was 11% in March. It was 9.5% in March 2025.
This spring’s higher rate “reflects the escalation in fuel costs resulting from the continued disruption to global energy markets,” Ryan Dixon, director of marketing and media for the Seattle-based company, said in an email.
“Fuel is a significant component of freight operations, and this volatility is having an impact on transportation costs throughout the industry.”
AML’s surcharge is higher for longer routes that burn more fuel, including its barge service to Cordova, Valdez, Dutch Harbor, the Aleutian Islands, Western Alaska, the Arctic and Hawaii.
TOTE, which operates twice-a-week cargo ships from Tacoma, Washington, to Anchorage, set its surcharge at 29.5% effective May 17. It ties its weekly adjustments to the average U.S. West Coast diesel fuel price, as posted by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Matson, which operates twice-a-week cargo ships from Tacoma to Anchorage and Kodiak, announced its surcharge will increase to 31% as of June 7.
National and international freight haulers are doing the same thing: The surcharge on all services at FedEx will go up to 27.25% on May 24. UPS was adding 31.25% to all air shipments as of last week.
There’s no denying that Dan Marshall has found his voice as a songwriter. While he first gained attention performing cover songs on American Idol and around Nashville bars, his original music is where his authenticity really shines, most notably on his latest release, “Middle Man.”
The rising singer/songwriter first started playing piano at 12 before teaching himself guitar at 18 while living at home in Virginia. This led him to start sharing his original music with the world in 2021, and by 2023 he was generating one million views on TikTok with songs like “Heaven’s Honky Tonk.”
Dan Marshall; Photo Provided
A former Virginia Tech football player and Top 10 finalist on American Idol, Marshall decided 2022 would be the year that the finally moved to Nashville to kickstart his dreams. Without knowing anyone in town, he managed to carve out a place in the songwriting community, leading him to sign with Jonas Publishing last year.
Now, Marshall is showcasing the work he’s been putting in behind the scenes, using a steady stream of new singles to “test the waters,” shape his sound, and pave the way for a larger project he hopes to release in the near future.
“Middle Man,” which follows his first release of 2026, “This is Heaven” was penned by Marshall with Walker Wilson and John Stephens. The mid-tempo blue-collar anthem carries immense pride as he champions the people who keep things going in small-town America by wearing their “boots to work” and then “clean ’em up for church,” emphasizing both hard work and traditional values.
Dan Marshall; Middle Man
The song feels honest and gritty, while Marshall’s warm, steady vocals display a powerful message about staying proud of where you come from and the life you’ve built.
Keep reading the exclusive Q&A below to learn more about “Middle Man,” the growth Marshall has seen in himself, and what fans can expect to see next from him.
Where did the idea for “Middle Man” come from?
Well, I mean, the guys that I wrote this song with, first of all… John Stevens and Walker Wilson, they’re both small town country boys and just great dudes. But John brought in the title, “Middle Man” and for whatever reason, he started explaining it to me and it was an idea that really lit me on fire. I think I knew exactly what to do with it and we all kind of gained from our own personal experiences. A lot of times that’s what writers do is they pull from their own lives and man, we wrote a hammer in my opinion and I just fell in love with it. I sent it to a bunch of people and it got a really good reaction and I was like, “Man, maybe we got something here.” And it was probably two years in the making. We wrote that song and just kind of sat on it and my publisher, Leslie DiPiero, I sent it to her and she was like, “Yeah, this is a huge song. We love it. ” And that’s always encouraging because not every one’s a winner. Oftentimes, especially in this business, you hear “no” a lot. So it was just great.
Why was this a message that was important for you to share? How do you personally connect with it?
I would say that a “middle man” is like somebody who maybe doesn’t have as much cultural influence in our country as they should. They are somebody that wakes up every day. They’re the unsung heroes. The guys that farm, the guys that throw on steel toed boots and welders and guys that live out in the middle of the country and not just guys, right? It’s just that kind of people. They’re not first or last, low or high class. So I just thought that was important to talk about and that’s something that’s close to me.
How have fans been reacting to this particular track?
It’s been really positive. I think we’re still just kind of getting there on what exactly it is that makes it special, the whole project. And Brandon Hood was behind this one and he’s going to be behind the next two singles and he’s just a phenomenal producer here in town. I think it was an overwhelmingly positive reaction, I’m happy about it.
What are you working toward right now? It sounds like a larger project may be on the way.
Well, we’re pushing out singles about every six weeks and just kind of testing the waters and see what happens. I was lucky enough to cut three songs at Castle Studios a while back with Mr. Brandon Hood and we chose the three best songs in my catalog and three songs that I can relate to and that we think other people would like. And man, we’re just going to do our best to market the s**t out of it and hopefully something comes out of it, but we’re going to take a big swing here.
How does “Middle Man” set the tone for the type of songs that we’re going to be hearing from you this year and the direction you’re going in?
I grew up on country radio and it was really, I just wanted that early 2000s kind of sonic sound and Brandon really understood that. There’s so many aspects of country music that I’ve fallen in love with all the way from ’80s, Shenandoah to Beach Country, Kenny Chesney. If it’s great music, I’m going to listen to it. And so trying to find a way to encompass the things I love and exclude the things I know I’m not, I think it’s been the challenge, but I think it’s been really exciting and we’re getting pretty good, pretty close.
How do you feel like you have grown as an artist in your sound and your songwriting since your early days in Nashville?
Oh my gosh. I’ve evolved in every possible way. I first started doing music. I mean, it was just like playing bars and breweries and stuff around where I’m from, but then I went on American Idol and I thought, “Oh wow, well this is what it’s supposed to be like. ” And when that journey ended and I packed my things and I drove to Nashville, I found out real quick like, “Hey, you’re just singing cover songs. You got to learn how to write music. You got to learn how to perform.” And that’s kind of been the long pole in the tent and things that I’ve been working on, trying to work on those weak points. But I’m happy to say that I’ve really fallen in love with the writing process and if it’s anything that excites me and gives me serotonin in some way, I’m going to love writing it and I’m going to dig deep.
You mentioned your Idol days. Since the most recent season just ended, what goes through your head each time you see a new round of contestants, knowing what it’s like to be in their shoes?
I’m excited for them. I’m super nervous for them because I know it was a really cool experience and I think there were a lot of great singers, especially on this past season…The girl who just won, she was amazing and the runner up. But I feel like when you can sing that good, maybe you don’t even need to learn how to write. People just hand you great songs. I’m excited. I’m nervous for them, but it’s really cool to watch.
Dan Marshall; Photo by Eric McCandless, ABC
Are there any lessons that you took from that part of your journey that you’re now still incorporating into this chapter of your career?
Yeah, I would say just don’t do things because you’re told to do them because if it doesn’t sit right in your soul or your heart, there’s a reason why. And if you’re not comfortable doing it, then don’t. I’d say that’s the only way you can stay authentically yourself, especially if you’re looking to be an artist in country.
Another tool that has obviously been very important for you and a lot of others is social media. Talk about having this platform and just the impact that it’s made on your career.
I wasn’t in country music the old way, but what I was told was there was four or five major labels and they were pretty much the gatekeepers of music in general, which is fine. That’s the old way. But one of the wonderful things about social media is it’s given access to anybody, just somebody like me who can just wake up one day and just be like, “You know what? Screw it. I’m going to post a cover. I’m going to post an original song.” And it does well and that’s encouraging. But 20 years ago, that wasn’t possible. So I think it’s been a wonderful tool and I would say consistent posting is one of the good things. And you just find something people connect with and you just lean into it and keep rolling.
What do you have to look forward to in terms of shows this year? What can fans expect from you?
I play a bunch of shows here in Nashville, Tennessee. We’re just starting low and slow, but if you guys want to come see me, just check on my website or check my socials. But I’m always playing in Midtown on the weekends and just having a good time keeping my chops up and we’re looking to see what the future holds.
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