Who Is Mackenzie Shirilla? Netflix's 'The Crash' Puts Ohio Murder Case Back in the Headlines
A Netflix documentary released last week has reignited national interest in one of Ohio's most disturbing true crime cases — and already set off real-world consequences for the family at the center of it.
The Crash, now streaming on Netflix, revisits the 2022 case of Mackenzie Shirilla, a then-17-year-old from Strongsville, Ohio, who was convicted of intentionally driving her car into a brick wall at 100 miles per hour, killing her boyfriend Dominic "Dom" Russo, 20, and their friend Davion Flanagan, 19. Since the documentary dropped on May 15, Shirilla's father has been placed on administrative leave from his job, viewers have flooded social media with reactions, and the case — considered legally closed — is consuming the internet all over again.
What Happened on July 31, 2022
In the early morning hours of July 31, 2022, Shirilla was driving Russo and Flanagan home from a high school graduation gathering in Strongsville when her car slammed into the side of a brick building at full speed. Shirilla survived. Both passengers were killed.
Investigators quickly determined this was no accident. Prosecutors said Shirilla pressed the accelerator to its full extent and never applied the brakes. The car was found to have no mechanical defects. Weeks before the crash, a witness had allegedly overheard Shirilla threaten to "wreck this car right now" during an argument with Russo, according to court records. Prosecutors characterized the relationship between Shirilla and Russo as volatile.
Shirilla never spoke to police before or after her arrest. She never testified at her trial.
The Conviction and Sentence
In August 2023, a Cuyahoga County judge found Shirilla guilty in a bench trial on four counts of murder, four counts of felonious assault, and two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide. She was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison. She is currently 21 years old and incarcerated at the Ohio Reformatory for Women. She will not be eligible for parole until Oct. 29, 2037.
Post-conviction, Shirilla's legal team pursued multiple avenues of appeal. A motion for a new trial was denied by the same judge who found her guilty. An appeals court affirmed the conviction. After years of filings and rulings, the case had largely faded from public view — until Netflix released The Crash.
The Netflix Documentary
The Crash, directed by Gareth Johnson and produced by Angharad Scott, reconstructs the case through interviews with the victims' families, friends, investigators, and for the first time, Shirilla herself. Getting her to speak on camera was no small feat. "She was never interviewed by the police either before or after her arrest," Johnson said. "It would be unprecedented if she spoke to us."
She did. The prison interview — Shirilla's first public statement since the crash — is central to the documentary and has become the most debated element of the film. Viewers have widely noted that she appears to show little remorse and seemed more bothered by being on trial than by the deaths of Russo and Flanagan. Shirilla and her family maintain she is innocent and that the crash was an accident.
Her father Steve Shirilla appears in the documentary and has been vocal in his belief that his daughter was wrongfully convicted. "Show me one piece of evidence — one — that says she did this on purpose," he told local news outlet 3News in 2025. He has also said he is unhappy with how his interview was edited in the final cut.
Father Placed on Administrative Leave
The documentary's release has had direct professional consequences for Steve Shirilla. Within days of The Crash hitting Netflix, he was placed on administrative leave from his position as an art and digital media teacher at Mary Queen of Peace School, a Catholic school in Cleveland.
In an email to parents, school administrators confirmed that one of their teachers had "demonstrated poor judgment" and was placed on leave while an investigation is conducted. The Catholic Diocese of Cleveland said administrators became aware of the situation through social media and "acted immediately." The school emphasized that the health and wellbeing of its students are among its highest priorities.
Steve Shirilla confirmed to local media that he was placed on leave and that an investigation is underway. A parent who spoke anonymously to local outlet 19 News said that while students loved and respected him as a teacher, "some of the light that Mr. Shirilla has been in due to this case and the documentary draws a negative light to our school."
Where It Stands
The legal case against Mackenzie Shirilla is closed. Her conviction has been upheld on appeal. No new evidence has emerged. But the Netflix documentary has done what true crime media increasingly does — reopen public debate around cases the courts have already decided, and direct intense scrutiny at everyone connected to them.
Davion Flanagan's father, who appears in the documentary, has been among the most vocal voices pushing back against the Shirilla family's public positioning. Russo and Flanagan's families continue to live with the loss. And Shirilla, now 21, continues to serve her sentence in Ohio, with the earliest possible parole date still more than a decade away.
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