After Netflix’s The Crash refocused national attention on the 2022 Strongsville killings, Dominic Russo’s family is pressing lawmakers for a state law, commonly called “Dom’s Law,” to stop people convicted of violent crimes from turning social-media notoriety into cash. Supporters say it is a narrow fix for a modern loophole, since existing statutes were written long before TikTok, livestream tipping, and creator payouts existed. House Bill 505 is the vehicle the family and its allies are urging through the Statehouse.
Family launches petition and targets Statehouse
Christine Russo, Dominic’s sister, launched an online petition called “Dom and Davion’s Law” on Change.org to push for a 21st-century update to notoriety-for-profit rules. The petition lists Governor Mike DeWine and Ohio lawmakers as decision-makers and shows tens of thousands of verified supporters, according to Change.org.
Why Ohio's current law may fall short
Ohio already has a Son-of-Sam style framework that directs the proceeds of certain media contracts into a recovery fund, but that statute dates back to the mid-1990s and focuses on books, broadcasts, and live performances. The Recovery of Offender’s Profits Fund provision took effect in 1995 and is codified at Section 2969.02 of the Ohio Revised Code. The law does not mention social-media platform payouts or crowdfunding by name, which is exactly where supporters say offenders are now able to cash in.
What HB 505 would do
House Bill 505, the measure supporters have nicknamed “Dom’s Law,” would explicitly bar violent offenders from receiving sponsorships, platform payouts, gifts, brand collaborations, paid appearances, or crowdfunding that originates on social media, according to language activists and the family are circulating. District 29 State Rep. Cindy Abrams, a co-sponsor, said the bill would “close a legal loophole that turns tragedy into a spectacle,” according to reporting by Cleveland Scene.
The case behind the push
The campaign traces back to the July 31, 2022 crash in Strongsville that killed Dominic Russo and his friend Davion Flanagan after the vehicle driven by then 17-year-old Mackenzie Shirilla struck a building at Progress and Alameda drives, as documented in contemporaneous reporting. News 5 Cleveland reviewed the original coverage; Shirilla was convicted in 2023 and later sentenced to concurrent life terms with parole eligibility after 15 years, according to AP News.
Legal hurdles lawmakers will face
Writing a broader notoriety-for-profit law means navigating free-speech limits. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down New York’s original Son-of-Sam statute in Simon & Schuster v. Crime Victims Board (1991) on First Amendment grounds, a decision legal analysts still lean on when they evaluate modern proposals. To avoid regulating speech itself, lawmakers typically try to focus on proceeds and disclosure instead of the content of what is said. The Supreme Court’s opinion is available via Cornell Law, and Ohio’s current approach appears in Section 2969.02 of the Ohio Revised Code.
What comes next
Supporters say the bill has momentum as the Russo family amplifies the proposal through interviews, a new podcast and the petition. The Change.org page notes the petition was created in late May and identifies the officials it asks to act. Any change will still require agreement on constitutionally sound language in Columbus and a review by legislative counsel before a final vote, according to reporting in Cleveland Scene.
For the Russo family and other victims’ relatives, the effort is both practical and deeply personal. They want to make sure high-profile crimes do not turn into ongoing revenue streams that retraumatize survivors every time a clip goes viral. Lawmakers in Columbus will now have to decide whether they can craft a durable, tightly focused statute that blocks influencer-style payoffs without colliding with constitutional limits.
