Netflix’s true-crime documentary The Crash tells the story of Mackenzie Shirilla, a teenager from Strongsville, Ohio, whose case shocked the country in 2022 and is still generating headlines in 2026.
On the morning of July 31, 2022, a car traveling roughly 100 miles per hour slammed into the side of a brick building in Strongsville, killing both passengers inside. The driver was 17-year-old Mackenzie Shirilla, who was taking her boyfriend, Dom Russo, and their friend Davion Flanagan home from a high school graduation gathering.
What first looked like an accident quickly became a murder investigation. Here’s what’s known about who Shirilla is, how her trial and appeals played out, and where things stand now.
Who Is Mackenzie Shirilla?
Mackenzie Shirilla is from Strongsville, Ohio, and became the center of a national true-crime case after a fatal crash in the summer of 2022. She was seventeen at the time.
She had been in a relationship with Dom Russo, 20, for roughly four years, and the two had recently moved in together after Shirilla graduated from Strongsville High School.
By multiple accounts, the relationship was volatile. A friend later said he’d overheard an argument between the two in July 2022 in which Shirilla allegedly threatened to crash the car with both of them inside.
Before the crash, Shirilla was, by all appearances, an ordinary Ohio teenager — active on social media, close with friends, and living with her boyfriend after graduation. July 31, 2022 changed that.
What Happened on July 31, 2022?
That morning, Shirilla was driving Russo and Flanagan home from a graduation gathering when her car struck the side of a building at high speed. Both passengers were pronounced dead at the scene; Shirilla was seriously injured and hospitalized.
Investigators found the car hadn’t drifted off the road by accident — it had accelerated in a controlled direction before impact. CCTV footage from the moments before the crash, along with a digital scale and psilocybin mushrooms recovered from the wreckage, raised questions about what happened that night.
Shirilla’s defense argued she had Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), a condition that can cause sudden blackouts, and that this explained her loss of control. Prosecutors countered that the sustained acceleration to roughly 100 mph and the car’s controlled turns required active engagement that wouldn’t be possible during a medical blackout.
The Trial: What the Judge Decided
Shirilla waived her right to a jury and chose a bench trial, meaning a judge alone decided the verdict. Though she was 17 at the time of the crash, she was tried as an adult and found guilty on all counts, including four counts of murder, two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, and one count of felonious assault.
The judge’s remarks during sentencing drew national attention: watching the crash footage, the judge described Shirilla as transforming from an ordinary driver into someone deliberately and precisely carrying out a dangerous act. Shirilla received a sentence of 15 years to life.
A family friend, Christopher Martin, testified that he’d heard Russo and Shirilla arguing in July 2022 and heard Shirilla threaten to crash the car — though under cross-examination he acknowledged he hadn’t reported it to police at the time. Shirilla’s own social media activity was also introduced as evidence during sentencing.
Mackenzie Shirilla’s Appeals — and Why They Failed
Shirilla’s legal team has pursued a new trial multiple times, without success. Ohio’s Eighth District Court of Appeals upheld her conviction in September 2024, and the Ohio Supreme Court declined to take up the case in April 2025.
A later filing became contentious over a calendar dispute: Ohio law gives defendants 365 days from the filing of the trial transcript to submit a post-conviction relief petition. In Shirilla’s case, that deadline fell on October 23, 2024, but her petition was filed a day later, on October 24 — reportedly the result of a leap-year miscalculation. The state has argued this technical error bars the petition under Ohio law.
In March 2026, the Eighth District reaffirmed its 2024 ruling, denying her request for a new trial. Her father, Steve Shirilla, has remained publicly vocal about his belief in her innocence, telling a local news outlet in 2025 that he’d yet to see any evidence that she caused the crash intentionally.
Netflix’s “The Crash”: What the Documentary Reveals
In May 2026, Netflix released The Crash, a documentary that brought the case to a wider audience. It features interviews with the families of all three people involved: Shirilla’s parents, Natalie and Steve; Dom Russo’s father, Frank, and sister, Christine; and Davion Flanagan’s father, Scott, and sister, Davyne.
The most notable moment in the film is one that hadn’t happened before: Shirilla herself appears on camera. She never spoke to police and never testified at trial, and in the years since her conviction she hadn’t publicly addressed what happened that night — until now.
In her interview, Shirilla said she wasn’t claiming to be innocent — that she was behind the wheel during a tragedy, but not a murderer, and that there had been no intent behind it. Reviewers have generally credited the documentary with avoiding sensationalism while still surfacing hard questions about intent, social media, and how the justice system handled a teenage defendant.
Where Is Mackenzie Shirilla Now in 2026?
As of 2026, Shirilla is serving her sentence at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville, Ohio. Her first parole hearing is expected around 2037–2038, when she’ll be in her early thirties. Her family has said they intend to continue pursuing every available legal option, and a new appeal was reportedly filed in April 2026, though it has not yet reached a courtroom.
Every legal challenge so far has been unsuccessful, and Shirilla remains incarcerated with her earliest realistic chance at release still more than a decade away.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mackenzie Shirilla
Q: Who is Mackenzie Shirilla?
A woman from Strongsville, Ohio, convicted of murder in 2023 after a 2022 car crash that killed her boyfriend, Dom Russo, and their friend, Davion Flanagan.
Q: What did Mackenzie Shirilla do?
She was convicted on multiple felony charges after prosecutors argued she intentionally crashed her car, killing Russo and Flanagan. She was sentenced to 15 years to life.
Q: Where is Mackenzie Shirilla now?
She’s incarcerated at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville, Ohio, with a parole hearing expected around 2037–2038.
Q: Is Netflix’s The Crash a true story?
Yes — it’s based on Shirilla’s real case, including the crash, trial, and its aftermath.
Q: Did Mackenzie Shirilla win her appeal?
No. Her conviction was upheld on appeal in September 2024, and the Ohio Supreme Court declined to hear the case in April 2025.
Q: What is POTS, and why does it matter in this case?
Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, a condition that can cause sudden blackouts. The defense argued it explained the crash; prosecutors argued the car’s sustained, controlled acceleration ruled that out.
Q: What was Mackenzie Shirilla’s sentence?
15 years to life in prison.
Q: When does she become eligible for parole?
Reports place her first parole hearing in 2037 or 2038, when she’ll be in her thirties.
Final Words
Mackenzie Shirilla’s case remains one of the most talked-about true-crime stories of the past few years. A teenage driver, a fatal crash, two young men dead, a bench trial, and a conviction that has held up through repeated appeals. Now, with Netflix’s documentary, Shirilla has spoken publicly about that night for the first time.
Whether the crash was an accident or something more deliberate is something viewers can weigh for themselves. What’s not in dispute: Shirilla remains in prison, her appeals have all failed so far, and her family says they’re not done fighting. The Crash is streaming on Netflix for anyone who wants to draw their own conclusions.