The Crash Documentary: Who Was Mackenzie Shirilla, What Illnesses Did She Have, and Where Is She Now?

The story that appears in The Crash, Netflix’s new True Crime documentary, is one of those in which we can see the darkest side of human psychology and what happens when a person lets themselves be carried away by their most violent impulses. The documentary presents a case that initially appears to be a tragic accident in which two teenagers lost their lives. Still, as the story progresses, it is revealed that there is something much darker behind what happened, and that the tragedy was not an act of the universe, destiny, or nature, but of a disturbed person. The genre of True Crime has taught us that when the wrong circumstances combine, things can end very badly, and the case featured in The Crash continues that theory, exploring the story of Dominic Russo, Davion Flanagan, and Mackenzie Shrilla.

The Crash Documentary: Who Was Mackenzie Shirilla, What Illnesses Did She Have, and Where Is She Now?

The case in question left two teenagers dead and one more accused of intentionally killing them. The history of Mackenzie Shirilla is one of those that shakes because it mixes youth, intense relationships, and a tragedy that is impossible to reverse. A case that started as a car accident in the early morning and ended up becoming one of the most talked-about trials in Ohio in recent years. Today, her name continues to generate debate, questions, and a deep division between those who see her as guilty and those who believe that something else happened that night, especially because of his new documentary on Netflix, “The Crash“.

The story happened in the early hours of July 31, 2022, when Mackenzie Shirilla, her boyfriend Dominic Russo, and their friend Davion Flanagan were traveling together in Shirilla’s car after a party. The trio was heading home, but something happened: the car ended up crashing into the wall of a building, and Dominic and Davion died instantly. Shirilla was the only survivor, but had several serious injuries that led to her being hospitalized. As shown by the Netflix documentary, it seemed like it had all been an accident and that Shirilla was lucky to survive, but when authorities analyzed the accident scene and the car’s computer, they realized that she had accelerated at one point and did not try to brake at all. even though he was quickly approaching a brick wall. Additionally, Mackenzie and Dominic were determined to have a complicated relationship and had been fighting more and more in the months leading up to the accident, so it was determined that the crash had been premeditated and that Mackenzie intentionally accelerated.

What Happened to Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan?

The Netflix documentary takes us to Strongsville, Ohio, on July 31, 2022. That day, Dominic Russo and his friend Davion Flanagan died after the car they were traveling in crashed into a wall. Mackenzie Shirilla, the 17-year-old teenager who was Russo’s girlfriend, was the only survivor of the accident. For a while, the authorities were left with the idea that everything had been accidental and that Mackenzie had been lucky to survive, until, upon investigating, they realized that Shirilla, who wanted to be a famous influencer, had planned it all.

Mackenzie Shirilla and Dominic Russo were in a relationship before the accident and had been together for 4 years, but, according to some testimonies from those who knew them, the relationship was complicated and, in the last months before Russo’s death, the couple had been fighting more and more.

According to Biography, “Just two weeks earlier, Shirilla threatened to ‘crash this car right now’ while Russo was co-driver. A friend of Russo’s also witnessed Shirilla hit him as he got out of the car”.

In the early hours of July 31, Mackenzie, Dominic, and Davion were on their way home from a party. The three were aboard Mackenzie’s car, who unexpectedly accelerated and crashed his car into a brick wall, killing Dominic and Davion instantly, while Mackenzie was left unconscious and with several injuries and broken bones, requiring several surgeries afterwards. Police realized this had not been an accident after analyzing the car’s computer, which revealed that Mackenzie had accelerated and did not attempt to brake at any time.

What Did Mackenzie Shirilla Do?

The early morning of July 31, 2022, everything changed. Mackenzie was driving her 2018 Toyota Camry after leaving several meetings with her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, and his friend Davion Flanagan. Minutes after starting the journey, the car crashed into a brick building at more than 160 kilometers per hour. Dominic and Davion died at the scene. Mackenzie survived with serious injuries. What initially seemed like an accident soon raised suspicions.

The investigation revealed a romantic relationship marked by fights, previous threats, and episodes of control. A video even came to light before the crash in which Mackenzie had threatened to crash the car. Expert reports indicated that there was no attempt to brake before impact and that the accelerator was fully depressed seconds before the crash. Furthermore, it was found that Mackenzie had consumed marijuana and that he had psilocybin in his possession that night.

What was Mackenzie Shirilla’s Sentence?

In 2023, the case went to trial, but not before a jury. It was a direct trial before a judge, who analyzed all the technical evidence, testimonies, and history of the relationship. The decision was forceful: guilty of all 12 charges, including murder, aggravated vehicular manslaughter, and drug possession. The judge sentenced Mackenzie to two concurrent sentences of 15 years to life imprisonment, with the possibility of parole after serving at least 15 years in prison. Additionally, his driver’s license was permanently suspended.

During the sentencing, the victims’ families spoke of the irreversible void left by the tragedy. His words made it clear that, beyond legal punishment, there are losses that they have no repair possible.

Where is Mackenzie Shirilla Currently?

After the crime scene was analyzed, it was determined that Mackenzie had planned everything and that she intentionally crashed into that wall to kill her boyfriend, so after she was released from the hospital, authorities charged her with murder and arrested her.

But Shirilla testified that she had no memory of what had happened that night and pleaded not guilty, so she was taken to a trial in which everything, according to Biography, is determined by a judge and not a jury.

Already at trial, the defense said Mackenzie suffered from a condition called POTS, which caused her to faint momentarily while driving, which caused the accident in which her boyfriend and his friend died. But, prosecutors stated that she accelerated just before impact, and that was an indicator that she was conscious at the time and that the check had been intentional, as a kind of revenge because Russo had threatened to end the relationship.

In August 2023, Mackenzie Shirilla was convicted of murder, aggravated assault, and aggravated vehicular manslaughter and received a 15-year prison sentence. Shirilla is currently 21 years old and serving her sentence at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville.

What Is POTS, the Disease Presented by Mackenzie Shirilla’s Defense of The Crash?

Upon leaving the hospital (where she was treated because she had several broken bones and injuries), Mackenzie Shririlla was charged with the murder of Dominic and Davion, and was taken to trial to present her case. There, the defense alleged that she suffered from a disease called POTS, so he had passed out at the wheel and lost control of the car just before impact.

POTS refers to Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome and, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, it is a circulation disorder, a form of dysautonomia, which affects the nervous system, heart rate, and pressure. Symptoms appear when a person goes from sitting or standing to standing, which can cause “dizziness (fainting), mental confusion, and fatigue”.

The most common symptoms of dysautonomia and POTS are:

• Intense and/or prolonged fatigue
• Dizziness when sitting or standing for a long time, which can cause fainting
• Mental confusion: difficulty concentrating, remembering, or paying attention
• Feeling that the heart is beating strongly or irregularly
• Nausea and vomiting
• Headache
• Excessive sweating
• Tremors
• Exercise intolerance or prolonged worsening of general symptoms after increased physical activity
• Paleness of the face and purplish coloration on the hands and feet if the extremities are below the level of the heart

According to the defense of Mackenzie Shirilla during the trial, this condition led her to faint while driving, which would also explain why she did not try to stop when she saw that a brick wall was in front of them, but the prosecution maintained the position that she did not stop because her intention was kill his passengers, especially since there were not only signs that he did not try to stop, but it could be shown that he increased his speed as he approached the building, and that everything had been planned.

In the end, the judge determined that Mackenzie was guilty of murder, aggravated assault, and aggravated vehicular manslaughter, for which she was sentenced to a 15-year prison sentence in August 2023, which she is currently serving at the Ohio Reformatory for Women. in Marysville.

The Netflix documentary proposes that the “black hole” of the case is that no one knows what really happened inside that car, and that raises a lot of doubts about Mackenzie’s stand during the incident (which is why it could not be determined if she really fainted because of the POTS), but investigators believe everything on Shirilla’s social media pointed to her being guilty.