Strongsville police release records in Mackenzie Shirilla case

STRONGSVILLE, Ohio (WOIO) - Strongsville police have released records in the Mackenzie Shirilla case, the 2022 crash that made national headlines and killed two teenagers.

The case dates back to July 2022, when police say Shirilla was driving up to 100 miles per hour before her vehicle slammed into a brick wall.

Dominic Russo, her boyfriend at the time, and their friend, Davion Flanagan, were killed. Shirilla survived.

In the months that followed, public debate grew over whether the crash was intentional.

It was initially ruled an accident, but investigators later pointed to interviews and early forensic findings they said suggested more to the story.

Shirilla was arrested in November 2022 and charged in connection with the crash.

A judge in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court found Shirilla guilty on all counts related to the double-fatal crash.

She was sentenced to life in prison, with eligibility for parole after 15 years.

Police released several files last week, including phone calls between Shirilla and her mother and text messages between Shirilla and Dominic Russo.

Body camera footage from the crash and interviews from family members and friends was also released.

The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office shared a statement Wednesday regarding the case.

The case has again resurfaced after Netflix released its documentary “The Crash” on May 15, 2026.

Speaking on camera from jail, Shirilla said there’s not a moment that doesn’t pass where she doesn’t think about the deaths of Russo and Flanagan and again suggested her POTS diagnosis may have played a role and the crash was not intentional.

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Since the documentary’s release, it is the first time many people have heard directly from Shirilla about the case.