Need to Know

• Mackenzie Shirilla and her parents say a medical condition caused the 2022 crash that killed her boyfriend and their friend

• Prosecutors said the crash was intentional, citing car data, a reportedly toxic relationship and alleged prior threats

• A jury convicted Shirilla of murder and other charges in 2023, and she is now serving 15 years to life in prison

As Netflix’s The Crash revisits the case, Mackenzie Shirilla and her parents are reiterating their claim that a medical condition caused the 2022 crash that killed her boyfriend and their friend — and that the incident was a tragic accident and not murder.

But prosecutors have said the evidence showed it was intentional — and a jury agreed, convicting Shirilla of murder in 2023 in the deaths of her boyfriend, 20-year-old Dominic Russo, and the couple’s friend, 19-year-old Davion Flanagan. She is now serving 15 years to life in prison after being convicted of murder and other charges

Shirilla, who was 17 at the time, drove her sedan into a brick wall in Strongsville, Ohio, at nearly 100 mph on July 31, 2022. Russo and Flanagan both died at the scene, while Shirilla was hospitalized with multiple injuries.

Shirilla has maintained from the beginning that she does not remember the crash. During her trial, her defense attorney argued she may have experienced a medical emergency and passed out due to postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a chronic medical condition, at the time of the crash. However, no medical records or expert testimony confirming such a diagnosis were presented at trial.

Prosecutors, meanwhile, argued the evidence pointed to intent to end her “toxic relationship” with Russo rather than an accident. They said data from the car showed the accelerator was fully pressed for several seconds before impact, along with changes in gear and steering movements immediately before the collision. Surveillance video also showed Shirilla driving normally before speeding up.

Convicted of all 12 charges she faced, including murder, aggravated vehicular homicide, felonious assault and drug possession, Shirilla was sentenced to life in prison in August 2023. She will be eligible for parole after serving 15 years.

Now 21, Shirilla gave her first interview since her arrest, from prison, in The Crash, which premiered on Netflix on Friday, May 15, emphasizing she is not a “monster.”

“It’s really hard every day in here,” she said in the documentary. “I try to wake up and be the best person I can be every day, stay out of trouble. There’s not a moment that doesn’t pass where I don’t think about [Russo and Flanagan].”

Her parents, Natalie and Steve Shirilla, also appeared in the documentary and have denied that their daughter intentionally crashed the car, citing her purported medical emergency.

During the trial, Natalie was also questioned on the stand about why she would allow her daughter to get a driver’s license after allegedly being diagnosed with POTS.

The parents claimed in The Crash that they’ve since collected evidence supporting their daughter that was not shown in court.

The documentary includes accounts from the weeks before the fatal crash, including claims that Mackenzie had been acting erratically and allegedly threatened to crash her car with Russo inside. Those claims were reportedly relayed to police by Russo’s mother after her son called her about the incident. Russo’s mother had sent a friend to locate them, with that friend claiming he overheard Mackenzie make the alleged threat.

Her parents dispute this version of events, presenting alleged text messages they say show Mackenzie telling Russo’s mother instead that her boyfriend was “trying to end my life.”

“We gave her attorney the text messages, we gave her attorney the medical records, we gave her attorney the car expert,” Natalie told 3News in May 2025. “He didn’t use any of it.”