Mackenzie Shirilla, who was responsible for the deaths of her boyfriend and his friend in 2022, was met with a blistering five-word assessment from a judge as she received two concurrent life sentences for their murders.
Shirilla’s story is revisited in Netflix’s new documentary, The Crash, which includes interviews with people connected to the case that drew worldwide attention in 2022.
She was 17 at the time and had been driving home from a party with her boyfriend, Dom, and his friend, Davion, when her Toyota Camry slammed into a brick building in Strongsville, Ohio at 200mph.
Dom and Davion were killed, while Shirilla survived with severe injuries, including damage to her liver and kidney, along with her tricep muscle detaching from her bicep.
As authorities examined the crash site and analyzed the vehicle’s black box data, investigators concluded they believed the collision was intentional.
The documentary also reviews CCTV footage that appears to show the teen making a careful turn shortly before the impact—behavior that prosecutors argued did not match a driver losing control at around 100mph, particularly with no braking recorded.
Shirilla was ultimately charged with murder and appeared before Judge Nancy Russo, who referred to her as ‘literal hell on wheels’.
After considering the evidence, Russo described Shirilla’s actions as: “controlled, methodical, deliberate, intentional and purposeful.”
“This was not reckless driving. This was murder. The video clearly shows the purpose and intent of the defendant. She chose a course of death and destruction that day,” the judge said.
Detailing why she imposed two 15 years-to-life sentences to be served concurrently, Russo said at the time: “I understand that the pain in this room wants me to impose the harshest sentence, but I don’t believe that would be the appropriate sentence, because I do believe that Mackenzie won’t be out in 15 years.”
The crash devastated two families. In the Netflix documentary, Dom’s father, Frank Russo, shares the final text message he received from his son at 2:53am on the day he died.
“Love you dad,” the text read.
Davion’s father, Scott, says in The Crash that he has ‘the capacity for forgiveness’, but that he mainly wants ‘to know the truth of what happened that night’.
“I would be eternally grateful for (Mackenzie) to actually tell us how those last few moments were,” he said.
Shirilla, however, has continued to insist she is innocent.
The Crash is available to stream on Netflix from May 15.