Netflix released a new documentary called ‘The Crash’ on May 15, 2026. The film looks back at a terrible car crash that happened in Strongsville, Ohio on July 31, 2022. A then 17-year-old girl named Mackenzie Shirilla drove her Toyota Camry into a brick building at around 100 miles per hour. The crash killed her boyfriend, Dominic Russo (20) , and their friend, Davion Flanagan (19) . Shirilla survived with serious injuries.
The documentary is getting a lot of attention because Shirilla speaks publicly for the first time from prison. She maintains she did not mean to kill anyone. But a judge found her guilty of murder in 2023 and called her “literal hell on wheels”.
Mackenzie Shirilla Is Currently Serving Her Sentence at the Ohio Reformatory for Women
Mackenzie Shirilla is now 21 years old and locked up at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville, Ohio. In August 2023, a judge sentenced her to life in prison. She will have to serve at least 15 years before she can ask for parole. Her first parole hearing is set for September 2037. She will be 33 years old at that time.
Shirilla was convicted on 12 felony charges. These included murder, aggravated vehicular homicide, and felonious assault. The judge decided there was no jury for the trial. She listened to the evidence and decided that Shirilla meant to cause the crash.
Shirilla Tries Again to Appeal Her Conviction
Shirilla and her lawyers are still fighting the case. In April 2026, they filed another request asking for a new trial. Her legal team says there is new medical evidence. They believe she had a medical episode related to POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome). POTS is a disorder that can cause fainting, dizziness, and blackouts.
The lawyers also say her first attorney did not do a good job. They argue he failed to bring up this medical evidence during the original trial.
However, the State of Ohio is pushing back. Prosecutors filed a request for the Supreme Court to reject her appeal. They say the evidence from the car’s black box is very clear. The data shows that Shirilla had the gas pedal pressed 100 percent to the floor. She never tried to brake. The car was going over 95 mph in a 35 mph zone.
“She had a mission, and she executed it with precision. The mission was death.”
— Judge Nancy Margaret Russo, during the 2023 trial
So far, her appeals have not worked. A previous appeal was thrown out because her lawyers filed the paperwork one day late. The court said the 365-day deadline is strict and there are no exceptions.
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What Mackenzie Shirilla Says in the Netflix Documentary
In ‘The Crash’, Shirilla talks about that night. She tells the filmmakers she has no memory of the crash. She does not claim she is completely innocent. But she strongly denies she is a murderer.
“I’m not a monster. I am not saying I’m innocent. I was the driver of a tragedy. But I’m not a murderer,” she says in the documentary.
Shirilla explains her POTS diagnosis. She says she was diagnosed in 2017. She believes a medical emergency caused her to black out right before the crash. “The most logical speculation seems to be a medical emergency,” she states.
She also talks about life in prison. “It’s really hard everyday in here. I try to wake up and be the best person I can be everyday,” she says.
The documentary shows a key moment at the end of her interview. After speaking for a while, Shirilla turns to her lawyer, who was sitting off-camera the whole time. She asks for guidance on what to say. “I don’t want to force anything and just say too much or sound crazy,” she tells her lawyer.
The Evidence That Convinced the Judge
The crash happened around 5:30 a.m. after a party. Prosecutors say Shirilla and Russo had a toxic relationship. Two weeks before the crash, someone reported that Shirilla drove dangerously on the freeway with Russo in the car. She had reportedly threatened to crash the vehicle.
Sgt. Ryan Fox from the Ohio State Highway Patrol looked at the car’s recording system. It showed about five seconds of data before the crash. The gas pedal was flat on the floor. Nobody touched the brakes. The data also showed the driver turning the wheel right, then left, then hard right again. Prosecutors believe Russo and Flanagan were trying to grab the wheel to stop the crash in those final seconds.
First responders also found marijuana in Shirilla’s purse and Psilocybin mushrooms on her body. A drug test later showed THC in her system.
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