Mackenzie Shirilla’s ex-girlfriend, Shyann Topping, shared insights about their intense relationship formed in prison.

Mackenzie Shirilla’s ex-girlfriend has spoken out about their time together in prison in a recent interview as the Netflix series on the former, ‘The Crash’ continues to create buzz.

Netflix’s The Crash explores the ongoing fight by Steve Shirilla and Natalie Shirilla to overturn their daughter’s murder conviction. (Screenshot- X)
Netflix’s The Crash explores the ongoing fight by Steve Shirilla and Natalie Shirilla to overturn their daughter’s murder conviction. (Screenshot- X)

Shyann Topping had dated Shirilla while she was in the Ohio Reformatory for Women. After her release, Topping described their relationship in an interview with People.

She said their relationship begun on a prison track after the deadly crash that killed Shirilla’s boyfriend, Dominic Russo.

What the ex-girlfriend revealed

Topping told PEOPLE that their romance began on the prison’s outdoor track just two weeks before her own release. She said the relationship intensified quickly, but Shirilla’s demands for public affection became intense.

Topping recalled that by the second or third day, Shirilla told her, “Why aren’t you touching me? I want you to be all over me. I want you to be out here for everyone in the yard to see me.”

Topping also said other inmates had nicknamed Shirilla “Shirilla the Killa,” and that Shirilla laughed when she told her about it. Topping added that Shirilla never made light of the crash but spoke about Russo and their friend Davion Flanagan in a “loving, regarding way,” according to the PEOPLE interview.

Why they split and threats that followed

According to Topping, the relationship “fizzled” after she researched the crash and realized Shirilla had misrepresented key details. Topping told PEOPLE, “It was surreal because once I uncovered about her case, and our communication ceased, people began sending me bizarre messages.”

In August 2025, Topping posted a series of videos on her TikTok account talking about Shirilla and effectively ending the relationship. After that, she began receiving anonymous threats, she said.

Topping said, “It was wild because after I uncovered her case and our communication ended, people started messaging me with disturbing content,” alleging some messages included just her mother’s name or her home address.

Shirilla, now 21, is serving 15 years to life after being convicted of murder and aggravated vehicular homicide in the 2022 crash.

The true-crime documentary The Crash was released on Netflix on May 15.

The Crash an instant hit

After the release, the series was an instant hit. It got Netflix over 2.7 million views globally to top Netflix’s most-streamed content list for the week that ended on May 24. The series is currently the No. 1 on Netflix’s English-language movie category.

generated 27.6 million views globally to top all content on the streamer, including No. 1 across English-language movies, according to Netflix data for the week ended May 24. The doc has generated 39.3 million views in nine days since its May 15 release.