Prosecutors involved in Mackenzie Shirilla’s case have published fresh case materials as they continue to stand firmly behind her 2023 conviction.
Shirilla received a life sentence, with the possibility of parole after 15 years, following the deaths of her boyfriend Dominic Russo and his friend Davion Flanagan.
Russo, 20, and Flanagan, 19, were killed in a crash after Shirilla — who was 17 at the time — drove a vehicle into a building at roughly 100mph, according to the case.
Her legal team and relatives previously contended she suffered a medical event while driving, claiming she “blacked out” due to Postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS).
Prosecutors disputed that explanation, pointing to findings that her foot remained on the accelerator until impact and that the car reached 100mph — something they argued would be inconsistent with an unconscious driver.
A new Netflix documentary, The Crash, includes Shirilla, her friends and family, and others connected to the case. The program features some friends and her parents expressing skepticism about her guilt.
In the documentary, Shirilla also asserts she is innocent and continues to pursue appeals. A more recent filing submitted in late April argues that her latest effort should still be heard after an earlier appeal dated October 24, 2024, was rejected because it was filed one day late.
Under Ohio law, defendants typically have 365 days after trial transcripts are filed to contest a conviction, Cleveland 19 reports.
Shirilla’s attorneys say that window should be extended in her situation because an additional transcript was filed weeks after the primary trial record.
Those claims were included in a new appeal filed with the Ohio Supreme Court on April 27, 2026.
In response, prosecutors released additional investigative material they say supports the verdict and also argued that her newest formal request should be dismissed.
A spokesperson for the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement, per The Tab: “Prosecutor [Michael C. O’Malley, the county Prosecutor] believes without question that Mackenzie Shirilla is guilty of murder.
“We are confident that any court that reviews this case will come to the same conclusion.”
The released materials reportedly include more than 30,000 pages of texts sent by Shirilla around the time of the 2022 crash, along with court filings and other records.
According to prosecutors, some of the messages shed light on the volatility in Shirilla and Russo’s relationship.
In one exchange referenced in the documents, communications between the pair allegedly indicated Shirilla tried to stab Russo “in the eye” after an argument.
In another message, Russo accused Shirilla of anger problems, which she appeared to acknowledge.
She wrote to him: “Obviously I have anger issues I’ve been working on in my whole entire life I need somebody that’s going to be there for me and D escalate [sic] my situation‘s when I’m going through a manic episode and you never do that you choose to escalate the situation all the time.”
The documents also suggest Russo wanted to end the relationship, but Shirilla resisted.
At one point, she reportedly said she would “flip out” if he broke up with her.
Another detail that is said not to appear in the Netflix documentary involves calls police received from Deanna Fausnight, the mother of David Proctor, who dated Shirilla during 10th and 11th grade.
Fausnight reportedly told officers she believed her son’s relationship with Shirilla was “toxic” and that the two “argued constantly” — something she felt echoed Shirilla’s relationship with Russo.
The files also describe claims that Shirilla had a reputation for dangerous driving. In a PowerPoint presentation cited in the materials, multiple sources allegedly said the teen was known as a “crazy” driver and that she sometimes displayed road rage.
The rest of the files released by police can be found here.