Netflix’s latest documentary, “The Crash,” delves into the perplexing and tragic events surrounding a car accident that led to a teen being charged with murder.
The film examines the 2022 incident in Strongsville, Ohio. On July 31 of that year, 17-year-old Mackenzie Shirilla was driving when she suddenly accelerated to nearly 100 miles per hour in a residential area before crashing into a building. Her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, 20, and his friend Davion Flanagan, 19, were passengers in the vehicle and tragically lost their lives in the crash.
Mackenzie, the only survivor, suffered significant injuries, including three fractured ribs, a broken femur, and a lacerated liver.
During a bench trial in August 2023, the judge determined that Mackenzie had deliberately caused the crash. She was subsequently convicted of murder and received a life sentence, with the possibility of parole after serving fifteen years.
In an August 2023 bench trial, the judge concluded that Mackenzie intentionally crashed the car. She was charged with their murder and sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after fifteen years.
Dominic and Mackenzie began dating her freshman year of high school.
“There was talk of getting married,” Mackenzie’s father, Steve Shirilla, explained in the doc. “He was someone my daughter was planning a life with.”
Mackenzie’s parents let her move in with Dominic when she was 17 and he was 20, because they thought she was “mature enough.”
Dominic’s father, Frank Russo, said onscreen that they were left with haunting questions about what happened the night of the crash since there were no skid marks before the impact.
Police found a small amount of marijuana and some psilocybin mushrooms in the car.
Prosecutor Tim Troup explained that “it was hard to comprehend that someone could just drive into a wall at that kind of speed.”
Troup and police investigated whether the car could have malfunctioned, and whether Mackenzie had drugs in her system.
Surveillance videos of the speeding car “didn’t add up,” he explained, because the car turning looked “too controlled,” and it wasn’t “someone driving with the music loud, throwing beer cans out of the car.”
When they found no hard drugs in her system, he concluded, “This was not some sort of party gone wrong. She wasn’t high on psilocybin when she crashed.”
Mackenzie allegedly lost her memory of what happened.
Davion’s dad, Scott Flanagan, suggested that the “timing” seemed too “perfect.”
“I don’t understand how you have amnesia that lasts the exact right amount of time to not be able to help the police with their investigation.”
Eventually, Troup and police found evidence that Mackenzie and Dominic had a “toxic” relationship, which included text messages and accounts from friends, and accounts from Dominic’s brother, Angelo.
Angelo alleged that Dominic tried to break up with Mackenzie several times. Dominic also allegedly told relatives that Mackenzie was “being crazy” during their relationship.
Troup even found a text where Mackenzie allegedly threatened to crash the car with Dominic in it — just three weeks before the accident.
Faythe Walsh, Mackenzie’s childhood friend, claimed that Dominic cheated early on in their relationship, which caused her to constantly ask him who he was with and what he was doing.
The night before the crash, the couple had a sleepover with their friends — including Rosie Graham.
“There was not argument, there was not one moment of tension,” Graham recalled in the doc. “Not one bad vibe.”
Nearly three years since being put behind bars, Mackenzie is now speaking out about the tragedy.
“I’m not a monster,” she declared in the doc, appearing from prison.
She described her relationship with Dominic as “rocky” but “young love,” and maintained her claim that she doesn’t remember the crash.
“It sounds crazy, but…I have no recollection of that morning. I’m not saying I’m innocent. I was a driver of a tragedy. But, I’m not a murderer.”
Her parents believe her innocence, and allege that she suffered a medical event as she was driving due to POTS, which can cause brain fog and lightheadedness.
However, Dominic’s sister, Christine Russo, pointed out that if someone faints while driving, their foot eases off the pedal. The car crash had “100 percent acceleration” the whole time, she said.
Troup also said he wasn’t provided with any medical statement to support the claim that she had POTS during the trial.
Her dad Steve and mom Natalie believe she’s innocent. “We have ironclad evidence that disputes what was said in the trial,” he claimed. Natalie, for her part, added: “She never threatened to crash the car, [Dominic did].”
At the end of her interview, Mackenzie said there’s “not a moment” when she doesn’t think about Dominic and Davion and she can “feel the pain” in her chest.
“I have excessive amounts of remorse. [It] was not intentional.”
She concluded: “I will do everything I can to prove that.”
Mackenzie is now 21, and currently incarcerated at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville, Ohio.
Her first appeal was denied. Her first parole hearing is scheduled for September 2037.
“The Crash” is now streaming on Netflix.