Netflix’s The Crash is currently sitting at the top of the platform’s film chart after arriving last week.
The documentary looks back at the case of Mackenzie Shirilla, an Ohio teen who was convicted of deliberately accelerating into a brick wall at more than 100mph in 2022 — a crash that killed her boyfriend Dominic Russo and his friend Davion Flanagan.
It’s the first time Shirilla has spoken publicly since being found guilty. Now 21, she continues to deny wrongdoing, saying she may have blacked out just before impact because of an underlying medical issue. Her comments — and the way the story is presented — have fuelled intense online argument, with some viewers alleging the Netflix film leaves out key context.
As a result, people are now recommending two other true-crime series that covered the case earlier, and which viewers say include additional detail about some of the most disputed and disturbing parts of the investigation.
The first is Mean Girl Murders, a show focused on real-life crimes tied to the darker side of female friendships, rivalries and social dynamics. Season 2, Episode 7 — Under The Influence — centres on Shirilla’s case and includes material that isn’t featured in Netflix’s documentary. That includes claims that Mackenzie visited the crash location shortly beforehand, and that the route taken was unusual and appeared intentionally selected. The episode also states that after being discharged from hospital, she went to a concert only a month after the crash. Viewers have described the episode as “insane” and “unreal.”
You can stream the full series on HBO Max or via Discovery+, available through its own app, or as a Prime Video add-on.
The second recommendation is Killer Cases. Season 4, Episode 12 — Murder on Wheels — also examines Shirilla and features audio from jail calls between Shirilla and her mother. Prosecutors said they used a Pig Latin-style code during those calls to try to avoid being understood. The episode also includes hospital-recorded audio in which Shirilla asks her mother: “Can we tell the police I had a seizure, can we tell the police something like that?”
Viewers can watch the episode on Hulu, Disney+ and Peacock.
If you haven’t followed the case closely, here’s a recap of what authorities say happened.
Shirilla was 17 when her vehicle slammed into a brick building in Strongsville, Ohio, in July 2022. She lived, but Russo and Flanagan died at the scene. While the incident was initially approached as a devastating crash, investigators later concluded it was planned rather than accidental.
Data taken from the vehicle’s black box indicated the accelerator was fully depressed and that no braking occurred before the impact. Police also reported that psilocybin mushrooms and a digital scale were found on Shirilla at the scene.
In a bench trial, Shirilla was convicted of four counts of murder, four counts of felonious assault, two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, one count of drug possession and one count of possessing criminal tools. The judge — who described her as “literal hell on wheels,” — imposed two concurrent sentences of 15 years to life.
Shirilla, now 21, is serving her sentence at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville. She has filed three appeals, most recently in March 2026, and all have been rejected. She won’t be eligible for parole until October 2037. In The Crash, she speaks on camera for the first time since her conviction, continuing to insist she is innocent and attributing the crash to a possible medical episode.
The Crash is streaming on Netflix now.
Mackenzie Shirilla’s representatives have been approached for comment
July 17 2022
Mackenzie Shirilla and her boyfriend Dominic Russo get into an argument. A friend overhears Shirilla tell him: “I will crash this car right now.”
July 31 2022
Shirilla is driving Russo, 20, and their friend Davion Flanagan, 19, from Russo’s home to a friend’s house. At around 5.30am, she crashes the car into a Plidco Building in Strongsville, Ohio, travelling at 100mph without braking. Police arrive on the scene 45 minutes later. Russo and Flanagan are pronounced dead and Shirilla is transported to MetroHealth Medical Center.
August 2022
200 people attend a vigil for Russo and Flanagan. Shirilla remains in critical condition. When a detective visits her in hospital, she is said to be speaking a ‘unique language’ similar to pig Latin.
October 2022
Shirilla attends a Halloween party wearing fancy dress which resembles a corpse, which Davion’s father considers in very poor taste. He says in Netflix’s The Crash: “Dressing up as corpses three months after she killed two people, it just sickened us to the very core.”
November 4 2022
Shirilla is arrested and faces 18 charges, including two counts of aggravated murder. She also faces charges for allegedly breaking into the Columbia Church of God in Columbia Station days before the crash, along with drug trafficking and possession charges.
August 7 2023
Shirilla’s trial begins. Her defence team argue she may have passed out at the time of the crash due to postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), but no medical records or expert testimony confirms the diagnosis.
August 14 2023
Shirilla is found guilty on all counts. Judge Nancy Margaret Russo calls her ‘hell on wheels’, and the court concludes she intetionally crashed the car in a premeditated act.
August 23 2023
Shirilla is sentenced to two concurrent 15 years to life sentences. Her legal team later lose an appeal and relief petition. She remains incarcerated in Ohio Refamatory for Women.
May 22 2025
Mackenzie’s parents insist that she’s innocent. Her father Steve tells WKYC: “Show me one piece of evidence – one – that says she did this on purpose. Show it to me, then she’s right where she belongs and she’s guilty of it. But there isn’t any.” Her mother Natalie claims there are texts in which Shirilla says Russo was ‘trying to end her life’.
May 15 2026
Netflix’s The Crash premieres. In it, Shirilla insists she is ‘not a murderer’ and has no memory of the crash, continuing to blame POTS.