Steve Shirilla said his ‘dumb daughter’ wasn’t ‘allowed to speak to you guys’

Bodycam footage cut from The Crash shows Mackenzie Shirilla’s parents arguing with police

Steve Shirilla said his ‘dumb daughter’ wasn’t ‘allowed to speak to you guys’

Mackenzie Shirilla’s parents Steve and Natalie Shirilla took part in the Netflix doc, and gave interviews about how what happened impacted their family. They have always maintained their daughter’s innocence, and that her killing Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan was a complete accident.

Now, police bodycam footage has emerged showing parents Steve and Natalie Shirilla at the station when Mackenzie had just been arrested. They went to the station after she was taken in, and weren’t too impressed with what had just happened.

Steve Shirilla referred to his daughter as “dumb” and seemed annoyed that she had been arrested at the weekend. At the same time, Natalie Shirilla tried to claim a phone found on her daughter actually belonged to her, and attempted to get police to give it back. The police said the phone was in fact Mackenzie’s.

“I need to speak to my daughter because you guys aren’t allowed to speak to her at all. That’s from the lawyer,” Steve Shirilla said to the officers. “He does not want you guys speaking to her. I can get him on the phone and he can tell you that over the phone. Or, I can go in and tell her not to open her mouth.”

Steve then seemed to get quite annoyed that Mackenzie had been arrested at the weekend. He suggested they could have just dropped her off at the station instead. “It’s just unbelievable,” he said.

The officer then explained: “The [arrest] warrant was issued today. So we executed it today. The warrant wasn’t issued earlier.” Steve then suggested Mackenzie’s arrest could have instead been a phone call.

The officer ignored this, and instead explained: “She’s [Mackenzie] an adult. She can’t take any phone calls right now. She’ll be transferred downtown.”

Steve wasn’t having this. “Well I still need to speak to my daughter,” he said. “So she understands what happened. I’m not saying anything to you guys, ok?”

Natalie Shirilla then requested they go to find “the phone” which the officer said he had “no idea about”. It would seem Mackenzie Shirilla had a phone on her when she was arrested, and that was taken off her. However, her mother Natalie was claiming the phone in fact belonged to her. “I do need it. I have other children,” Natalie said. Steve added: “That’s how we communicate.”

Steve then said police didn’t need to “roll out” the entire team they did to arrest “an 18-year-old who can hardly walk”. He added: “It’s just beyond me.”

As Steve then started pacing the room, the police explained they were simply “following the law”. Again, Steve asked if he could have a “two minute conversation” with Mackenzie, to which he was once again told that wouldn’t be possible.

“Why doesn’t she get a phone call? She has legal rights,” the parents then said, together. The other officer explained Mackenzie had just arrived, would be processed, and as soon as she was able to make a phone call, she would be allowed to.

Steve and Natalie Shirilla then again said that she’s 18 and needs a lawyer. To which the police officer repeated that she is an 18-year-old, so therefore an adult. Steve then said: “But she is a dumb 18-year-old. Just turned 18. All the kids nowadays are dumb. These guys are going to take advantage of her. She’s not allowed to speak to you guys. I’m telling you.”

The officer then attempted to leave the room, and Steve shouted after him: “Don’t ask her any questions! She’s not allowed to speak to you!”

The officers in the backroom were then heard discussing that the phone found on Mackenzie Shirilla was her own, not her mothers. “Oi oi oi,” one officer said, grabbing a bag of Doritos.