Mackenzie Shirilla is an Ohio woman serving a life sentence for murdering her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, and his friend, Davion Flanagan, by driving a Toyota Camry into a Strongsville brick building at roughly 100 miles per hour on July 31, 2022. She was 17 at the time. After a bench trial in Cuyahoga County, Judge Nancy Margaret Russo convicted her on all counts, including four counts of murder, and sentenced her to life with the possibility of parole after 15 years. The case became the subject of the 2026 Netflix documentary The Crash.
What Happened the Morning of the Crash
Shirilla, Russo, and Flanagan left a sleepover on Brushwood Lane in Strongsville around 5:30 a.m. on July 31, 2022. Six minutes later, at 5:36 a.m., the 2018 Toyota Camry she was driving hit the brick wall of a commercial building near Progress Drive and Alameda Drive.1Oxygen. Mackenzie Shirilla Crash Timeline
Russo, 20, had been Shirilla’s boyfriend for about four years. Flanagan, 19, was a 2022 graduate of Strongsville High School, a former football player, and a youth swim coach who was applying to barber school.2People. Where Is Davion Flanagan’s Family Now Both were killed. The Cuyahoga County medical examiner initially classified the deaths as accidental, then amended the manner to homicide after investigators reviewed surveillance footage and phone records.3Supreme Court of Ohio. State v. Shirilla, 2024-Ohio-4674
Why Prosecutors Called It Murder
The core physical evidence came from the car’s event data recorder, analyzed by Sergeant Adam McQuaid of the Brooklyn Police Department. According to his testimony, the accelerator was fully depressed 4.6 seconds before impact, and the throttle stayed at 100 percent until 1.6 seconds before the crash, when the car struck a curb and went airborne. The brake was never pressed in the recorded window. In the final seconds the steering wheel registered a small right turn, a small left, and then what McQuaid described as a “hard yank” — a 142-degree hard right that occurred nearly simultaneously with the car hitting the curb.3Supreme Court of Ohio. State v. Shirilla, 2024-Ohio-4674
Prosecutors built their motive around the relationship. Christine Russo, Dominic’s mother, testified that Shirilla had grown “more possessive” and that by mid-2022 her son was considering ending the relationship for good, according to his brother Angelo. Two July 2022 incidents were introduced as evidence of escalation. On July 17, during an argument on the shoulder of Interstate 71, Shirilla told Russo, “I’m going to wreck this car right now,” and witness Christopher Martin saw her strike Russo before he got out of the car. Videos on Russo’s phone from the same month captured her banging on his door, using degrading language, and threatening to damage his property.4NBC News. Teen Murdered Boyfriend in 100 MPH Crash
Prosecutors also showed that Shirilla drove the same obscure route on July 28, 2022, three days before the crash, a route she did not ordinarily use. They argued this demonstrated planning, and that the 5:30 a.m. timing was chosen to avoid witnesses.3Supreme Court of Ohio. State v. Shirilla, 2024-Ohio-4674 Assistant prosecutor Tim Troup told the court, “There is no doubt that this happened because of the relationship with Dominic, and the defendant’s intent was clearly to end that.”4NBC News. Teen Murdered Boyfriend in 100 MPH Crash
The Defense’s Account
Shirilla’s attorneys argued the crash was a tragedy, not a killing. Their central alternative was a medical emergency. Shirilla’s mother testified that her daughter had postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a condition that can cause dizziness or loss of consciousness, and the defense pointed to Shirilla appearing confused with a very low blood-oxygen level when first responders arrived.3Supreme Court of Ohio. State v. Shirilla, 2024-Ohio-4674 No medical records or expert testimony confirming a POTS diagnosis were presented at trial.5People. Why Do Mackenzie Shirilla and Her Parents Insist She’s Innocent
The prosecution answered by showing that Shirilla’s mother had helped her apply for a driver’s license twice after the 2017 POTS diagnosis, in 2021 and 2022, and that on both applications Shirilla attested she had no condition causing impairment of consciousness or loss of muscular control.3Supreme Court of Ohio. State v. Shirilla, 2024-Ohio-4674
Defense witnesses also disputed the picture of a toxic relationship. Paul Burlinghaus, a friend at the sleepover, said “everything seemed fine,” and Rosie Graham said there was “not one argument” and “not one moment of tension” that night.1Oxygen. Mackenzie Shirilla Crash Timeline On the steering data, the defense suggested the hard-right input could have been an attempt to keep control, a reaction to hitting the curb, or a passenger pulling the wheel.
The Verdict and Sentence
Shirilla waived a jury and was tried by Judge Nancy Margaret Russo in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, case number CR-23-679612-A. The judge found her guilty on all counts: four counts of murder, four of felonious assault, and two of aggravated vehicular homicide.3Supreme Court of Ohio. State v. Shirilla, 2024-Ohio-4674
In her verdict, Judge Russo said: “This was not reckless driving. This was murder. Her actions were controlled, methodical, deliberate, intentional and purposeful. She had a mission, and she executed it with precision. The mission was death.”4NBC News. Teen Murdered Boyfriend in 100 MPH Crash
On August 21, 2023, she was sentenced to life in prison with the first parole eligibility after 15 years, sentences running concurrently.6Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office. Strongsville Woman Sentenced to Life in Prison Scott Flanagan, Davion’s father, said the concurrent structure “seemed to take away from the two individual lives.”2People. Where Is Davion Flanagan’s Family Now At sentencing, prosecutors played TikTok videos of Shirilla in the months after the crash to argue she showed a “shocking lack of remorse.”7Netflix Tudum. Where Is Mackenzie Shirilla Now
Where Her Appeals Stand
Shirilla’s direct appeal challenged the sufficiency of the evidence. The Eighth District Court of Appeals affirmed all convictions in 2024, and the Ohio Supreme Court declined to review the case in April 2025.8NBC4i. Ohio Supreme Court Declines to Hear Appeal of Mackenzie Shirilla
She then filed a petition for postconviction relief in October 2024, citing ineffective assistance of counsel and new medical evidence supporting the blackout theory. Ohio law gives defendants 365 days after trial transcripts are filed to bring such a challenge. The transcripts had been filed on October 24, 2023, making the deadline October 23, 2024. Her lawyers filed on October 24, 2024, one day late, and attributed the miss to failing to account for 2024 being a leap year.9Cleveland 19. Mackenzie Shirilla Asks Ohio Supreme Court to Review Case
The trial court dismissed the petition as untimely in May 2025. The Eighth District affirmed on March 12, 2026, holding that the court lacked subject-matter jurisdiction over a late-filed petition and rejecting equitable tolling.10Supreme Court of Ohio. State v. Shirilla, 2026-Ohio-830 On June 23, 2026, the Ohio Supreme Court again declined to hear her case, with Justice R. Patrick DeWine the lone dissenter and no written reasoning published.11Cleveland 19. Ohio Supreme Court Declines Review of Mackenzie Shirilla’s Case
Life in Prison
Shirilla has been held at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville since August 31, 2023, inmate number W111780. Her earliest parole eligibility date is October 29, 2037, with a first parole board hearing set for September 2037.12Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. Offender Search – Mackenzie F. Shirilla
Her disciplinary file since arriving has grown. In September 2024, she was charged with possessing contraband including 29 bottles of paint, craft supplies, jewelry-making materials, Monopoly money, I.O.U. notes, and price lists for homemade jewelry. In October 2024, she pleaded guilty to possessing non-prison-issued items found in a bed search. A January 2025 search turned up medication not prescribed to her and a personal photo allegedly depicting drug use. In April 2025, she pleaded guilty to conducting over 100 video visits with a non-approved visitor under an assumed name and received a 30-day electronics restriction. In September 2025, she pleaded guilty to inappropriate behavior on video visits and drew a 60-day video visiting restriction.13Cleveland 19. New Prison Records Detail Mackenzie Shirilla Discipline Cases
A fellow inmate identified as “Anastasia” told reporters that Shirilla made statements behind bars implying responsibility for the crash, allegedly saying “the devil made her do it” and that “the devil was pressing on her foot.” The inmate also said Shirilla kept a photo of a brick wall with the word “BOOM” written on it, and claimed the statements were made while Shirilla was under the influence of the synthetic drug K2.14AOL. Mackenzie Shirilla Amused While Speaking About Boyfriend Shirilla continues to deny that the crash was intentional.
The Netflix Documentary and Its Fallout
Netflix’s The Crash premiered on May 15, 2026, directed by Gareth Johnson and produced by Angharad Scott. It uses bodycam footage, surveillance video, cell phone data, and courtroom footage, and includes interviews with both victims’ families, friends, and investigators.15Netflix Tudum. The Crash Release Date and News The film features Shirilla’s first public interview, conducted in prison with her lawyer present and limited to one hour. In it she said: “I’m not saying I’m innocent. I was a driver of a tragedy, but I’m not a murderer.”7Netflix Tudum. Where Is Mackenzie Shirilla Now
The documentary quickly affected her family. Her father, Steve Shirilla, an art and digital media teacher at Mary Queen of Peace School in the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, was placed on administrative leave after parents complained about his on-camera comments. He said of his daughter’s marijuana use, “I don’t have a problem with her smoking dope,” and appeared in a shirt reading “BOOM.”16People. Mackenzie Shirilla’s Father Placed on Administrative Leave The diocese cited “allegations of poor judgment” and did not renew his contract; Steve Shirilla told TMZ he would not have re-signed anyway given “how they handled this situation.”17The Columbus Dispatch. Mackenzie Shirilla’s Father and Netflix Documentary
Jailhouse phone recordings released around the same time captured calls between Shirilla and her mother, in which Shirilla disputed statements the victims’ families had made at sentencing and her mother called those families “evil people.”18Cleveland 19. Mackenzie Shirilla Jail Audio Calls Reveal Shocking Claims With the Ohio Supreme Court’s June 2026 refusal, Shirilla’s paths to legal relief have narrowed sharply, and she remains at the Ohio Reformatory for Women until at least her 2037 parole hearing.