A SMALL TOWN, MESSY FEELINGS, AND ONE RELATIONSHIP PEOPLE CAN’T LET GO OF 😳💔 — Just when viewers thought they finally had answers, the next chapter is already moving forward and fans are convinced the emotional chaos is far from over. With unfinished feelings and moments still hanging in the air, many think the biggest decision hasn’t happened yet.

Drop the couple you’re still rooting for before everything changes again.

Why did Mackenzie Shirilla crash the car?

Netflix’s new documentary, The Crash, shows all the ideas that were put forward during the investigation into Mackenzie Shirilla.

Netflix’s new true crime documentary examines a number of theories behind an extraordinary car crash case, but some questions remain.

The shocking feature length doc, titled The Crash, is streaming from this week (May 15) and is sure to keep armchair detectives hooked.

According to its synopsis, it examines the investigation that followed after a car carrying three young adults slammed into a brick building at 100 miles per hour in Strongsville, Ohio, leaving two dead and one seriously injured.

Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan both died at the scene. Dom was the boyfriend of the driver, 17-year-old Mackenzie Shirilla.

While at first it seemed like a tragic accident, detectives soon uncovered something else. Shirilla would eventually be arrested, charged and convicted of murder. While she could spend the rest of her life behind bars, her parents maintain her innocence.

They disagree with the prosecution that Mackenzie intentionally drove the car into the wall. So why did Mackenzie Shirilla crash the car? Here’s what you need to know, according to the new Netflix doc.

View 2 Images

Mackenzie says she does not remember the moments leading up to the crash

Why did Mackenzie Shirilla crash the car?

The Netflix documentary addresses a number of theories behind why the car crash happened. This includes arguments and suggestions made by the prosecution and the legal team defending Mackenzie during the trial.

According to an interview given to a local news station in 2025, Shirilla’s parents Steve and Natalie claim that their daughter suffered a medical event right before the crash and did not intentionally kill her boyfriend and friend. They say they had a neurologist review evidence.

However, this evidence nor testimony for an expert witness suggesting a medical episode was used as a defence during the trial. Dominic’s mother Christine said her son and Shirilla had been dating for four years and moved in together in 2021.

His brother claimed that they had ‘broken up many times’ over the years. Christine also said her son’s relationship with Shirilla became ‘strained’ during the months leading up to the crash. There were alleged incidents of ‘fighting’ and a video shared where Shirilla threatened to break into her boyfriend’s house.

Prosecutors would eventually argue that she intentionally crashed the car to kill Russo and end their troubled relationship. The night before the crash, the trio attended a number of gatherings with friends. Data from their phone activity states that they began to ultimately travel home around 5:30 a.m.

While the journey began normally, the car they were in sped up minutes later before the crash. A forensic mechanical expert assisted with the investigation and examined the car’s event data recorder, which is described as the vehicle’s version of a black box.

It showed that the accelerator pedal was fully depressed with no application of the brake just seconds before the collision. That means that the data shows there was no attempt to lift a foot off the accelerator or apply the brakes.

Data also concluded that there was a hard steering movement towards the right and the car shifted between neutral and drive in the moments before the crash. It is not known why either of these things happened.

View 2 Images

Mackenzie’s parents believe it was an accident(Image: Netflix)

In the Netflix doc, the lead prosecutor claims the two victims could have been trying to regain control of the car. This has not been proven. It could not be proved whether it was the driver or a result of the car’s movement at speed.

Shirilla maintains she has no memory of what happened in the moments leading up to the crash. It was found that she had traces of marijuana in her system but nothings else.

The forensic expert also noted there was “no indication of any precrash mechanical or electrical failure that may have caused a loss of accelerator control, a loss of braking or a loss in the ability to steer the vehicle”.

While some questions might remain over the case, the Judge was convinced. In her sentencing remarks, Judge Russ said: “This was not reckless driving. This was murder. The video clearly shows the purpose and intent of the defendant. She chose a course of death and destruction that day.”

Shirilla was sentenced to 15 years to life for both murder charges. She is currently serving 15-years-to life with a chance of parole.

The Crash is streaming on Netflix from May 15.