Gypsy Rose Blanchard Says Shirilla Won’t Get Early Parole
Gypsy Rose Blanchard says Mackenzie Shirilla will not get early parole. gypsy rose blanchard told TMZ in a podcast that aired May 29 that she does not think Shirilla will get early parole, citing prison behavior, remorse, and family input.
Blanchard said if the victim’s family writes against parole, Shirilla will automatically be denied. She also said Shirilla has not fully grasped the gravity of her crime.
Blanchard on parole review
Blanchard said the parole board takes into consideration behavior in prison, remorse, and family. She added, “They prioritize the victim’s family above everything.”
She also said, “I don’t think the documentary did her any favors” and, “I don’t think she’ll get early parole and this is why.”
Blanchard’s comments draw on her own parole experience. She received parole in 2023 for second-degree murder in the 2015 killing of her mother, Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard.
Shirilla’s conviction and sentence
Shirilla was convicted in 2023 on four counts of murder and four other crimes for a 2022 crash that killed Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan. She received a life sentence with eligibility for parole after 15 years.
The case returned to public view after the Netflix documentary The Crash hit the platform on May 15. Shirilla said in the documentary, “I’m not saying I’m innocent, I was a driver of a tragedy, but I’m not a murderer.”
The Crash and parole stakes
Blanchard said, “It’s going to take a lot of work on her part,” and added, “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 also 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,” but said it “is going to hit her like a train” and that Shirilla will then need to make amends with the victims’ family.
The practical issue for Shirilla is the same one Blanchard named: how the board weighs conduct, remorse, and the victims’ family before any release after 15 years.
