Gypsy Rose Says Shirilla Won’t Get Parole After Podcast
gypsy rose Blanchard said she does not think Mackenzie Shirilla will get parole after a TMZ podcast aired on May 29. Blanchard tied that view to Shirilla’s murder conviction and the way parole boards weigh prison behavior, remorse and family objections.
TMZ Podcast May 29
Blanchard said, "I don’t think the documentary did her any favors," after Shirilla’s case drew new attention from Netflix’s The Crash, which hit the platform on May 15. She said Shirilla would need time and work before parole becomes realistic, adding, "It’s going to take a lot of work on her part."
She also said, "They prioritize the victim’s family above everything." Blanchard said, "If the victim’s family writes against her parole, she will automatically be denied," and added that the families of Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan could keep Shirilla from being released early.
Shirilla’s 2023 Conviction
Shirilla was convicted in 2023 on four counts of murder and four other crimes after the 2022 crash that killed Russo and Flanagan. She received a life sentence with parole eligibility after 15 years.
The crash happened at roughly 5:30 a.m. on July 31, 2022, when Shirilla was behind the wheel of a Toyota Camry that smashed into a brick building at the intersection of Alameda and Progress Drive in Strongsville. The documentary has put those facts back in public view, and Blanchard’s comments add a direct view from someone who has gone through parole herself.
Victim Family Objections
Blanchard said Shirilla needs "extensive therapy" and that accountability will not settle in quickly. "She’s going to have to do a lot of extensive therapy. She’s young. And it’s not going to sink in until 20 years from now," she said, before adding, "she needs to grow up and take accountability."
She said, "Remorse is something that maybe is not coming natural right now because maybe it’s something that she hasn’t dealt with internally and emotionally." Blanchard’s view centers on the part of the process that can matter most before any future hearing: whether the family of a victim writes against release.
Shirilla said in The Crash, "I’m not saying I’m innocent" and "I was a driver of a tragedy, but I’m not a murderer." Her case now sits at the point where public attention, family objections and the prison record she builds over time will shape whether parole ever becomes an option.
