Inside the Mind of Mackenzie Shirilla: How a Reckless Teen Became a Double Murderer—and the Netflix Documentary That Tells Her Story
On July 31, 2022, in a quiet industrial park in Strongsville, Ohio, a 2018 Toyota Camry carrying three young people hurtled through the pre-dawn darkness at nearly 100 miles per hour. The driver, 17-year-old Mackenzie Shirilla, lost control—or, as prosecutors argued, deliberately aimed the car—into a brick building. The impact killed her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, 20, and his friend Davion Flanagan, 19. Shirilla survived, barely, with broken ribs and internal injuries. Now, nearly two years later, her case has become the centerpiece of a new Netflix documentary, The Crash, which features exclusive prison interviews with Shirilla and unprecedented access to the investigation.
Shirilla and her family have maintained that she blacked out behind the wheel due to a medical condition called POTS, a blood pressure disorder. But prosecutors painted a darker picture: a jealous, controlling teenager who had threatened to crash a car with Russo inside weeks before the tragedy. The court agreed. In August 2023, Judge Nancy Margaret Russo (no relation to the victim) sentenced Shirilla to 15 years to life on two counts of murder, calling her transformation from a responsible driver to “literal hell on wheels.”
The case has ignited debate about the line between reckless driving and intentional murder, especially when the driver is a minor. Legal experts point out that the prosecution’s case hinged on data from the car’s electronic system, which showed the gas pedal pressed to 100 percent until impact, and a sharp steering maneuver three seconds before the crash—evidence that, prosecutors argued, passengers Russo and Flanagan were trying to save themselves. “If she had passed out, her foot would have eased off the gas,” said assistant prosecutor Tim Troup during closing arguments. “Instead, we saw a deliberate act.”
The documentary, directed by award-winning filmmaker Lisa F. Jackson, weaves together security footage, police radio recordings, and emotional interviews with both Shirilla and the victims’ families. One of the most jarring moments comes from a recorded phone call between Shirilla and her mother, where they speak in a coded pig Latin, discussing how to claim she suffered a seizure—a claim that contradicts her official blackout story. “I don’t need to be rehabilitated,” Shirilla tells her mother in another call. “I’m the third victim.”
Shirilla’s social media presence—dancing to pop songs, showing off designer accessories, smoking marijuana—paints a picture of a typical teen, but one who, according to Russo’s mother, Christine, had a volatile relationship with her son. Christine told police she received a frantic text from Dominic the night of the crash, saying Shirilla was driving dangerously and he needed help. “This was not an accident,” Christine said in a statement. “She knew exactly what she was doing.”
Behind bars at the Ohio Reformatory for Women, Shirilla has become a polarizing figure. Fellow inmate Kat Crowder, who served time with her, described her as upbeat but condescending toward others. “She would do her makeup and make jewelry,” Crowder told PEOPLE, “but she thought she was above everyone else.” Meanwhile, the families of the victims are pushing for legislative change. Russo’s sister Christine is working with Ohio lawmakers to draft a bill that would ban influencers from profiting off their crimes, after discovering that Shirilla continued to post on social media from prison.
In the documentary, Shirilla insists she is not a murderer. “Nothing about that night was intentional,” she says in a prison interview. “I was the driver of a tragedy, but I’m not a murderer.” The victims’ families are unconvinced. Davion’s sister Davyne, reflecting on Shirilla’s courtroom apology in 2023, told reporters, “That was the worst apology I’ve ever heard. I know when someone’s being fake.”
As The Crash streams on Netflix, the case continues to resonate—a grim reminder of how a summer night, a toxic relationship, and a speeding car can change lives forever.
Reporting by NICOLE ACOSTA and CHRIS SPARGO