Dad Speaks Out: Mackenzie Shirilla’s father insists she did not deserve what happened to her, and says every claim he makes is backed by proof

‘The Crash’ subject drove her vehicle into a brick building in the early hours of July 31, 2022

Mackenzie Shirilla and Dominic Russo; The crash scene.Credit : Courtesy of Netflix; Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office

In the early morning of July 31, 2022, Mackenzie Shirilla drove her car into a building — killing the passengers inside her vehicle.

The incident resulted in the deaths of her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, and their friend, Davion Flanagan. Following a 2023 bench trial, Shirilla was found guilty of all 12 charges against her, which included murder, aggravated vehicular homicide, felonious assault and drug possession. She is now serving two concurrent prison sentences of 15 years to life.

The tragic event and Shirilla’s subsequent court case are the subjects of the new Netflix documentary The Crash.

“My first thoughts, it was just chilling,” assistant prosecutor Tim Troup said in The Crash. “If anybody was awake and alert inside that car, what a horrific last few seconds they endured. It was hard to comprehend that someone could just drive into a wall at that kind of speed.”

Here’s everything to know about where Mackenzie Shirilla’s fatal crash occurred.

Where did Mackenzie Shirilla crash her car?

Mackenzie Shirilla; Crash scene.Strongsville Police Department; Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office

According to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, Shirilla drove her Toyota Camry directly through a business sign and into a building located at the intersection of Progress Drive and Alameda Drive in Strongsville, Ohio. At the time of impact, the car was going around 100 mph.

As shown in bodycam footage in The Crash, when police first arrived at the scene they said the car had been “split into two.”

“I think it [the vehicle speed] played a role, but it’s still difficult to say how fast the car was going, but with the kind of damage that was there, the way the vehicle struck the sign and the building, all plays a role in it,” Strongsville Police Chief Mark Fender told FOX 8 in July 2022.

What road was Mackenzie Shirilla driving on?

Per court documents, Shirilla turned from Pearl Road onto Progress Drive in Strongsville. It was while on Progress Drive that she accelerated to nearly 100 mph.

“Based on my calculations, the Toyota averaged approximately 97.8 mph through this stretch right here,” Ohio State Highway Patrolman Elliot Rawson — going over Shirilla’s route — said in The Crash. “That’s beyond unsafe speed for the roadway and conditions. At this point, the Toyota enters the intersection where it struck the corner of the commercial building.”

Had Mackenzie Shirilla driven that route before?

Dom Russo and Mackenzie Shirilla in The Crash.Courtesy of Netflix

GPS data from Shirilla’s phone presented during her trial showed that on July 28, 2022, days before the event, she was in the area where the fatal accident occurred, according to a season 2 episode of the Hulu docuseries Mean Girl Murders.

Troup claimed that Shirilla was conducting a “dry run” a few days before the crash. However, in court, Detective Hazou said that GPS data from cellphones is approximate, so it’s possible that Shirilla was not at that exact intersection on July 28.

“Mackenzie alone made the decision to drive the car, to drive an obscure route, a route she visited a few days before, and a route not routinely taken by her,” Judge Nancy Margaret Russo said during Shirilla’s sentencing, per WKYC. “Mackenzie alone chose a time to make the drive, early in the morning, when any reasonable person would expect a few people would be nearby to witness it or offer life-saving assistance.”

Russo continued, “She made these decisions despite knowing, as any reasonable person would, that her mission of death could’ve involved others not even in the car with her. Other people, other cars, pedestrians.”

Which building did Mackenzie Shirilla crash into?

Shirilla crashed the car into the Plidco Building, according to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office. According to The Crash, the vehicle “struck the corner of the commercial building.”

The brick building is where Plidco (the Pipe Line Development Company) is located. Shirilla’s car went across the lawn and crashed through a business sign before hitting the building at 100 mph.

Is there a memorial at the site where Mackenzie Shirilla crashed her car?

Mackenzie Shirilla, Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan.Netflix (3)

According to FOX 8, a small memorial with flowers and other mementos was created at the site of the crash in July 2022.

Flanagan’s family has since honored his legacy by creating a memorial scholarship to financially support aspiring barbers.

In 2023, Russo’s gravesite was allegedly burnt to the ground. His family launched a GoFundMe to rebuild the memorial, and two months later, they were able to replace the site thanks to the donations.

“Just wanted to say thank you for all of your generous donations,” his sister, Christine, wrote in an August 2023 update. “We were able to recreate Dom’s grave beautifully. Any further donations will go to purchasing updated memorial items, flowers, etc. in the future. Or maybe a nice custom bench, or a memorial site at the rec where we used to watch Dom play basketball. Thanks again. We love you so much Dom.”