Mackenzie Shirilla Used A Secret Language To Talk To Her Mom From Jail, ‘Can We Tell The Police…’

Mackenzie Shirilla is leading the headlines after Netflix aired The Crash, which documented the harrowing case involving her. The documentary follows the high-profile Ohio criminal case of Mackenzie Shirilla, a 17-year-old (now 21) who was convicted of dual murder. The documentary features interviews with her, showcasing her remorse for her actions. However, Mackenzie’s jail calls revealed that she used a secret language to communicate with her mom.

Mackenzie Shirilla used a secret language to communicate with her mother

In jail calls obtained by PEOPLE, Mackenzie was heard using a secret code language with her mother, Natalie Shirilla. During one of the calls, she discussed a man she had been communicating with in jail. But when Natalie Shirilla warned Mackenzie to stop meeting the man, Mackenzie began speaking gibberish for 30 seconds before her mother stopped her.

Mackenzie Shirilla’s secret language was used as evidence during the trial

The secret language is a form of gibberish which breaks a word down into syllables and adds “ezza” to each syllable. Not just this, in one of the conversations, Mackenzie was allegedly heard asking her mother, “Can we tell the police I had a seizure?” Prosecutors were able to decode the language and present it as evidence during the murder trial. They argued that Mackenzie was trying to cover up her crime. The prosecutor also stated that she intentionally crashed her car and did not suffer a medical episode, as her defense claimed at trial.

Why was Mackenzie Shirilla convicted?

Mackenzie Shirilla’s case dates back to 2022, when a 17-year-old Shirilla drove a Toyota Camry through Strongsville, Ohio, with her boyfriend, 20-year-old Dominic Russo, and their friend, 19-year-old Davion Flanagan. She crashed the car into a commercial building. Reports suggest that she was driving 100 miles per hour, and the crash took the lives of both Dom and Davion, although she herself survived. 

Since she was the sole survivor and a toxicology report stated that there were no traces of alcohol in her system, an investigation began. Investigators cited the absence of skid marks or signs of braking attempts as evidence and argued that the crash was deliberate. Assistant Cuyahoga County Prosecutor, Tim Troup told the court that the teen wanted to murder Russo after their months-long fling fizzled out.

Soon Mackenzie was convicted of four counts of murder, four counts of felonious assault, two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, and one count each of drug possession and possessing criminal tools.

Mackenzie Shirilla talks to her mother about her life behind bars

On May 20, 2026, People obtained an undated call between Mackenzie Shirilla and her mother, Natalie Shirilla. In the call, she discusses the realities of life behind bars in the Cuyahoga County Jail, where she has been since her double-murder conviction. Mackenzie can be heard saying that she “doesn’t want to live here with these people,” referring to being surrounded by “murderers [and] kidnappers,” as her mother described them. 

In the same conversation, Mackenzie told her mother that she hopes her parents do not have to sell their house. She also opened up about her fears for the future. To quote her:

“I feel like I want to live off the grid, like, and I’m just — I’m just I’m thinking about like how I’m just gonna be like old when I get out of jail and like, I don’t know, like I’m not gonna be able to have kids or like a family and sh– like that.”

What do you think about the secret language used by Mackenzie Shirilla to talk to her mom from jail?

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Photos Credit: The Crash/Netflix/Instagram