STRONGSVILLE — Mackenzie Shirilla has asked the Ohio Supreme Court to review her case for an appeal following the May 15, 2026, release of a Netflix documentary titled “The Crash.” Shirilla is serving two concurrent terms of 15 years to life in prison for the deaths of Dominic Russo, 20, and Davion Flanagan, 19, in a July 31, 2022, crash in Strongsville, Ohio.
On that date, Shirilla deliberately drove her Toyota Camry into a brick building. Prosecutors argued she caused the crash to end her relationship with Russo, with Flanagan also in the car. Strongsville Police Department released text messages between Shirilla and Russo, jailhouse calls, and bodycam footage from the day of the incident.
Shirilla’s attorneys argue that medical evidence supports her claim that she blacked out before the crash. They contend her trial lawyers failed to adequately investigate whether she suffered from Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), a condition they say could have caused her to lose consciousness. According to her legal team, POTS was only “cursorily referenced” at trial despite notifications from Shirilla and her family, and trial counsel should have sought expert testimony on whether the condition explains her failure to brake before impact.
In a July 2, 2022, text message, Shirilla described experiencing what she called her “worst black out.” Other messages included statements indicating suicidal thoughts and threats of violence, which prosecutors cited as evidence of intent. In one message, she told Russo to “treat the girl who would die for you a little better.”
Cuyahoga County Judge Nancy Margaret Russo, during the 2023 verdict, said Shirilla was on a “mission” and that “this was not reckless driving. This was murder.” Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley stated on May 27 that he “believes without question that Mackenzie Shirilla is guilty of murder.”
Shirilla’s father, Steve Shirilla, claimed in a podcast interview that his daughter did not kill Russo on purpose. He also said, “She’s a dumb 18-year-old that just turned 18.” A lower court previously ruled that Shirilla’s postconviction petition was filed one day too late.