Where is Mackenzie Shirilla now? Netflix’s The Crash puts her case and appeal hopes back in the spotlight
A new Netflix documentary, The Crash, details the tragic deaths of Dominic Russo, 20, and Davion Flanagan, 19, at the hands of Mackenzie Shirilla, who at the time was a 17-year-old student with a blossoming social media following and her whole life ahead of her.
While the case made headlines locally, the murders of Russo and Flanagan have now been brought to a global audience – many of whom want to know more of the true story behind the programme, how Mackenzie Shirilla was eventually caught and where she is now.
Despite her sentencing, there is still a campaign to try and ‘Free Mackenzie Shirilla’, alleging her innocence – so, this is what we know about Mackenzie Shirilla and her life today.
Who is Mackenzie Shirilla?
Mackenzie Shirilla is a woman who was found guilty of deliberately murdering her then-partner, Dominic Russo, and their friend, Davion Flanagan, after she crashed her car into a wall. Shirilla and Russo had been in a relationship for over three years at the time, described as tumultuous, and the prosecution argued Shirilla crashed the car after learning Russo wanted to break things off.
Before the car crash, Shirilla, who hails from Ohio, was reportedly well known at her school and was steadily gaining a notable social media following. Russo’s brother, Angelo, told the court, “I witnessed a lot of negative behavior from her to my brother, and that just kind of pushed away as a big brother figure, because she just wasn’t fair to him.”
Netflix
Mackenzie Shirilla and Dominic Russo
Shirilla’s life changed forever on 31 July 2022, when she was driving in the early hours of the morning with her boyfriend, Russo, in the passenger seat and Flanagan sat in the back. CCTV footage appears to show Shirilla driving normally, before accelerating up to 100mph and smashing the car into a brick building. All three were trapped inside the car and the two men tragically lost their lives, Shirilla was also hospitalised.
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Shirilla would later claim her slipper-shoe became wedged under the accelerator pedal and she panicked, unable to slow the car down. Traces of marijuana and THC were found in her system after the crash.
What happened to Mackenzie Shirilla?
Following the accident, Shirilla was criticised for trying to seek work as a model and attending a concert while in a wheelchair, and reportedly asking police ahead of her trial, “Can’t you just take away my license or something?”
When the case went to trial, the prosecution painted a less than flattering picture of Shirilla, claiming she was a Regina George-type figure at school with emotional issues and who could not stand the thought of her toxic relationship with Russo ending. They argued she crashed the car deliberately.
Judge Nancy Margaret Russo (not related to Dominic Russo) said when sentencing Shirilla that “she had a mission and executed it with precision” and described her as “hell on wheels”.
Shirilla was later convicted of all 12 crimes she was charged with, including murder, aggravated vehicular homicide, felonious assault and drug possession.
After the verdict was delivered Cuyahoga County Prosecutor, Michael O’Malley, said, “The intent was obvious upon seeing that video that there was only one goal, and the computer demonstrated that there was no attempt to slow down or stop – that it was full speed into a building and tragically it cost two people their lives.”
He alleged Shirilla crashed the car after fearing Russo wanted to break off their relationship for good. “There is no doubt that this happened because of the relationship with Dominic and the defendant’s intent was clearly to end that, and she took everybody that was in the car with her.”
Where is Mackenzie Shirilla now?
After being found guilty in the 2023 trial, Shirilla was sentenced to two concurrent life sentences in prison, with the possibility of parole after 15 years.
Speaking about the loss of her brother after his death, Dominic Russo’s sister, Christine, told PEOPLE that her family has been shattered by the loss and that they would have preferred the sentences to have been run consecutively instead. “I can’t imagine how I would feel if Mackenzie got out in 14 years […] Nothing can make this better. Just hoping and praying that our pain eases even slightly, there’s a huge hole in us all. We will never be whole again.”
Netflix
Frank and Christine Russo in The Crash
A campaign group known as Free Mackenzie Shirilla continues to post on social media regularly, writing ahead of the documentary: “We understand that this is a high profile and very emotional case and we will always be heartbroken for the families and friends of Dom and Davion and their unmeasurable loss. That being said, pain does not give anyone the right to convict an innocent person and continually lie. Our system is very broken and we will keep sharing the truth.”
In an older post, the group said: “Accusations of [Shirilla] showing no remorse could not be more patently false. I witnessed her crying so hard she couldn’t breathe, showing me photos of all the places [her and Russo have] been and things they’ve done. Next to the bed she was recovering in, there was a table full of items for Dominic. She went to the gravesite almost daily.”
It added: “There was not a single shred of evidence left behind that she had planned this, and more importantly, not a single shred of evidence she did this intentionally. A video of her speeding car convicted her of double murder. That’s where the ‘evidence’ starts and ends.
“Mackenzie is guilty of being the driver that night and for that she legally bears responsibility. We are fine with that. We know that’s the right thing. But there is literally no evidence supporting her charges and conviction. Thank you to all of you who continue to see through the bullshit. None of our posts are ever meant to diminish the tragic loss of 2 lives. That’s heartbreaking. We are here to get her a fair trial.”
The campaign group hopes Shirilla will get another chance to appeal.
The Crash is on Netflix now
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