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Mackenzie Shirilla is now 21 years old.

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.

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, Hell on Wheels, 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.