2 weeks ago
A caller Netflix doc covers nan unusual lawsuit of a tragic car mishap — that yet ended pinch a teen woman getting charged pinch murder.
Called “The Crash,” nan documentary is astir nan 2022 calamity successful Strongsville, Ohio.
On July 31 of that year, Mackenzie Shirilla, 17, was down nan instrumentality erstwhile she abruptly accelerated adjacent to 100 miles per hr successful a suburban area and collapsed into a building. Her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, 20, and his friend Davion Flanagan, 19, were passengers and yet died.
Mackenzie, meanwhile, survived. She sustained terrible injuries, including 3 surgery ribs, a surgery femur, and a lacerated liver.
In an August 2023 chair trial, nan judge concluded that Mackenzie intentionally collapsed nan car. She was charged pinch their execution and sentenced to life successful prison, pinch nan anticipation of parole aft 15 years.
Dominic and Mackenzie began making love her freshman twelvemonth of precocious school.
“There was talk of getting married,” Mackenzie’s father, Steve Shirilla, explained successful nan doc. “He was personification my girl was readying a life with.”
Mackenzie’s parents fto her move successful pinch Dominic erstwhile she was 17 and he was 20, because they thought she was “mature enough.”
Dominic’s father, Frank Russo, said onscreen that they were near pinch haunting questions astir what happened nan nighttime of nan clang since location were nary skid marks earlier nan impact.
Police recovered a mini magnitude of marijuana and immoderate psilocybin mushrooms successful nan car.
Prosecutor Tim Troup explained that “it was difficult to comprehend that personification could conscionable thrust into a wall astatine that benignant of speed.”
Troup and constabulary investigated whether nan car could person malfunctioned, and whether Mackenzie had narcotics successful her system.
Surveillance videos of nan speeding car “didn’t adhd up,” he explained, because nan car turning looked “too controlled,” and it wasn’t “someone driving pinch nan euphony loud, throwing brew cans retired of nan car.”
When they recovered nary difficult narcotics successful her system, he concluded, “This was not immoderate benignant of statement gone wrong. She wasn’t precocious connected psilocybin erstwhile she crashed.”
Mackenzie allegedly mislaid her representation of what happened.
Davion’s dad, Scott Flanagan, suggested that nan “timing” seemed excessively “perfect.”
“I don’t understand really you person amnesia that lasts nan nonstop correct magnitude of clip to not beryllium capable to thief nan constabulary pinch their investigation.”
Eventually, Troup and constabulary recovered grounds that Mackenzie and Dominic had a “toxic” relationship, which included matter messages and accounts from friends, and accounts from Dominic’s brother, Angelo.
Angelo alleged that Dominic tried to break up pinch Mackenzie respective times. Dominic besides allegedly told relatives that Mackenzie was “being crazy” during their relationship.
Troup moreover recovered a matter wherever Mackenzie allegedly threatened to clang nan car pinch Dominic successful it — just 3 weeks earlier nan accident.
Faythe Walsh, Mackenzie’s puerility friend, claimed that Dominic cheated early connected successful their relationship, which caused her to perpetually inquire him who he was pinch and what he was doing.
The nighttime earlier nan crash, nan mates had a sleepover pinch their friends — including Rosie Graham.
“There was not argument, location was not 1 infinitesimal of tension,” Graham recalled successful nan doc. “Not 1 bad vibe.”
Nearly 3 years since being put down bars, Mackenzie is now speaking retired astir nan tragedy.
“I’m not a monster,” she declared successful nan doc, appearing from prison.
She described her narration pinch Dominic arsenic “rocky” but “young love,” and maintained her declare that she doesn’t retrieve nan crash.
“It sounds crazy, but…I person nary recollection of that morning. I’m not saying I’m innocent. I was a driver of a tragedy. But, I’m not a murderer.”
Her parents judge her innocence, and allege that she suffered a aesculapian arena arsenic she was driving owed to POTS, which tin origin encephalon fog and lightheadedness.
However, Dominic’s sister, Christine Russo, pointed retired that if personification faints while driving, their ft eases disconnected nan pedal. The car clang had “100 percent acceleration” nan full time, she said.
Troup besides said he wasn’t provided pinch immoderate aesculapian connection to support nan declare that she had POTS during nan trial.
Her dada Steve and mom Natalie judge she’s innocent. “We person ironclad grounds that disputes what was said successful nan trial,” he claimed. Natalie, for her part, added: “She ne'er threatened to clang nan car, [Dominic did].”
At nan extremity of her interview, Mackenzie said there’s “not a moment” erstwhile she doesn’t deliberation astir Dominic and Davion and she tin “feel nan pain” successful her chest.
“I person excessive amounts of remorse. [It] was not intentional.”
She concluded: “I will do everything I tin to beryllium that.”
Mackenzie is now 21, and presently incarcerated astatine nan Ohio Reformatory for Women successful Marysville, Ohio.
Her first entreaty was denied. Her first parole proceeding is scheduled for September 2037.
“The Crash” is now streaming connected Netflix.
