Warning: The following post contains discussions of murder.
The new Netflix documentary, The Crash, takes a closer look at the shocking 2022 crash in Strongsville, Ohio, that killed Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan. The 17-year-old driver, Mackenzie Shirilla, was driving Russo, her boyfriend at the time, and Flanagan, a mutual friend, home from a party on July 31, 2022, when she crashed her car into the side of a brick building at 100 miles per hour.
Shirilla’s parents, as well as friends and family members of the victims, speak in the documentary about the tragedy that cost two young men their lives. As the investigation unfolded into what happened that night, detectives discovered that this crash wasn’t an accident. Shirilla was eventually arrested and charged with the murders of Russo and Flanagan.
The now 21-year-old, who is interviewed in the documentary, has maintained her innocence. From her trial to those who notably didn’t appear in the documentary, here are the latest updates on the case.
Where is Mackenzie Shirilla now?
In a 2023 bench trial, Shirilla was convicted of 12 felony charges after it was determined that she intentionally crashed her car and killed Russo and Flanagan. She was sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 15 years. Shirilla is currently incarcerated at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville, Ohio. She’ll be eligible for parole in 2037.
In her first interview since entering prison, Shirilla spoke in The Crash about her relationship with Russo. “We would have probably been married by now,” she said, adding that he was “so protective and loving over me.” Shirilla acknowledged that their relationship was “rocky” at times, but it was “good.”
Netflix
She later said, “I’m not saying I’m innocent. I was a driver of a tragedy, but I’m not a murderer.”
When questioned about the cause of the crash, Shirilla said the “most logical speculation seems to be a medical emergency.” Her mother, Natalie, explained that Shirilla has POTS [Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome], a disorder that can cause lightheadedness or dizziness, fainting, palpitations, and more, according to NIH.
Netflix
Shirilla’s mother testified during the trial about her POTS diagnosis. Tim Troup, the assistant prosecutor on the case, noted that Shirilla’s legal team never provided proof from a medical professional that she had suffered a POTS incident the night of the crash.
At the end of the documentary, it was revealed that Shirilla was interviewed with her lawyer present. When the producer asked Shirilla if she had any final words, she replied, “I’m big on the no intent. There was no intent whatsoever. I have excessive amounts of remorse for Dominic, Davion, both of their families. This was not intentional, and I will do everything I can to prove that to the world and their families. And that’s it.”
Did Mackenzie Shirilla get an appeal?
In September 2023, Shirilla’s legal team filed the first appeal, which was denied. A second appeal was filed in April 2025, which was also denied. In March 2026, the Eighth District Court of Appeals upheld the judge’s decision to deny Shirilla’s appeal after her attorney filed the paperwork one day after the 365-day jurisdictional deadline, per CourtTV.
As of now, Shirilla’s first parole hearing is scheduled for September 2037. She will be 33 years old.
Why weren’t Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan’s mothers in The Crash documentary?
A number of people close to the case are featured in the documentary, including Russo’s father and sister, Frank and Christine Russo, as well as Davion’s father, Scott Flanagan, and Shirilla’s parents, Steve and Natalie Shirilla. However, the mothers of Russo and Flanagan, Christine Russo and Jaime Flanagan, are not in the documentary.
It’s never disclosed why Christine Russo and Jaime Flanagan aren’t in The Crash. At the trial, Russo’s mother delivered an emotional impact statement and said her “heart is forever broken.” She ended her speech with, “Mackenzie showed no mercy on Dominic, nor did she on Davion. Only God at this time can have mercy on her soul.”
Flanagan’s mother also addressed the court. “I am devastated by the loss of Davion,” she said at the time. She later added, “We will never get to see the amazing man that he was surely to become.”
The Crash, Streaming Now, Netflix
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