Netflix’s new documentary The Crash, which began streaming on May 15, reopens one of Ohio’s most debated criminal cases, the 2022 high-speed crash in Strongsville that killed two men and landed teenage driver Mackenzie Shirilla in prison for murder. In August 2023, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Nancy Margaret Russo found Shirilla guilty of all 12 charges against her, including murder, and sentenced her to two concurrent 15-year-to-life terms.
She is currently serving her sentence at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville and will not be eligible for parole until 2037. While the case may be legally closed for now but for Shirilla’s parents, Steve and Natalie, the fight is far from over.
Also Read: Mackenzie Shirilla update: Where is she now after the double murder conviction?
Who are Steve and Natalie Shirilla?
Steve and Natalie Shirilla are Mackenzie’s parents, who raised her in Strongsville in Ohio.
They allege that two key pieces of evidence were ignored during the original trial, health data they say points to Mackenzie suffering a medical event just before the crash, and apologetic text messages from Russo that they claim show he was responsible for instigating the couple’s conflicts, per 3News.
Steve has been blunt about what he sees as a complete absence of proof against his daughter.
“We believe she’s been falsely accused of something. We believe there’s no evidence. There’s no evidence that you can show me that says prior calculation, intent, there’s nothing,” he told NBC News. “All the prosecution has that’s factual is five seconds of black box information.”
Natalie has questioned whether Mackenzie ever received a fair trial, saying her first lawyer failed to use much of the evidence the family had provided.
“Look at the evidence critically and objectively, and you will see there is no evidence of intent. She never threatened his life, his physical life,” she told NBC News.
Both parents say they are not done fighting, not by a long shot.
“I will never, ever, never stop,” Natalie told NBC News. “There is no expiration on truth.”
“Mackenzie would never hurt them or anybody she loves,” she added. “She stands up for people that are in trouble or struggling. That’s who she is.”
Also Read: Brandon Sanderson books: How Apple TV’s Murderbot is connected to upcoming Stormlight series; author explains
How did victims’ families respond
While the Shirillas continue their legal fight, the families of Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan say the repeated appeals have made it impossible to heal.
Davion Flanagan was a football player, aspiring barber and loving older brother. His family has started a memorial barber school scholarship fund in his honor, according to NBC News. Dominic Russo who one of seven siblings, loved basketball and had dreams of launching his own clothing line, per his family.
Scott Flanagan, Davion’s father has spoken openly about how draining the appeals process has been. “It seriously never ends. How many chances does she get when our son and Dominic didn’t get a single one? It’s like a scab being constantly ripped off when all we want to do is heal the loss of our son,” he wrote on Facebook.
Dominic’s sister Christine Russo, who took part in the Netflix documentary, said the grief has only deepened with time. “It hasn’t gotten any better. It’s gotten worse. As time goes, we’re missing him more as different stages of grief are hitting,” she told NBC News.