Mackenzie Shirilla breaks years of silence in first prison interview after deadly 2022 case

The convicted Ohio teen says she thinks about the victims daily while her family continues fighting her case

Mackenzie Shirilla has spoken publicly for the first time since being convicted over the 2022 crash that killed her boyfriend Dominic Russo and friend Davion Flanagan, offering her account of the tragedy in Netflix documentary The Crash.

The documentary, released on Netflix in May 2026, revisits one of the most widely discussed criminal cases in recent American history. Shirilla was found guilty in 2023 of murdering Russo and Flanagan after prosecutors argued she intentionally drove her vehicle into a commercial building in Strongsville, Ohio. The collision killed both passengers, while Shirilla survived.

Throughout the investigation and trial, Shirilla never spoke publicly about the events of July 31, 2022. She did not testify during court proceedings and had not previously given a media interview. According to the filmmakers behind The Crash, securing her participation required months of discussions before she eventually agreed to sit down for an on camera interview from prison.

During the documentary, Shirilla maintains that she has no memory of the moments immediately before the crash. Addressing questions about the fatal incident, she states that she was responsible as the driver but rejects the suggestion that she intentionally caused the deaths.

“I’m not saying I’m innocent. I was a driver of a tragedy, but I’m not a murderer,” Shirilla says in the film.

She also points to her diagnosis of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, commonly known as POTS, which her defence team previously referenced during trial proceedings. Shirilla suggests that a medical episode may have contributed to the crash, although prosecutors successfully argued at trial that the evidence supported a deliberate act.

The documentary also revisits the significant role social media played in the case. Prosecutors introduced various TikTok videos and social media posts during sentencing, arguing that they reflected a lack of remorse in the period between the crash and Shirilla’s arrest. The posts became a major talking point during public discussions surrounding the case.

Responding to those criticisms in the documentary, Shirilla argues that social media often presents a version of a person rather than an accurate reflection of reality. She describes many of the posts as products of her teenage years and says they did not represent what she was experiencing privately.

The film additionally includes interviews with Shirilla’s parents, Steve and Natalie Shirilla, who continue to maintain that their daughter did not intentionally kill Russo and Flanagan. Speaking both in the documentary and in subsequent media appearances, Steve Shirilla has argued that aspects of the prosecution’s theory do not make sense to him and has continued to defend his daughter publicly.

Despite those efforts, Shirilla’s legal challenges have so far been unsuccessful. Her first appeal was denied, and she remains incarcerated after receiving two concurrent sentences of 15 years to life in prison. According to information presented in The Crash, her first parole hearing is scheduled for September 2037.

The documentary does not alter the legal outcome of the case, but it provides viewers with the first opportunity to hear directly from Shirilla herself. Nearly four years after the crash and almost three years after her conviction, The Crash has renewed public interest in a case that continues to generate debate, particularly over questions of intent, evidence and accountability.