Film & TV3 min(s) read
Published 13:44 15 May 2026 GMT
Netflix’s new documentary, The Crash, has revealed the heartbreaking final text sent by 19-year-old Dominic Russo just hours before he died in a car driven by Mackenzie Shirilla.
The documentary, which premiered on Netflix on May 15, revisits the 2022 case involving Shirilla, who was convicted of intentionally crashing a car into a brick building while her boyfriend, Dominic, and his friend, Davion Flanagan, were passengers.
The film explores the events leading up to the fatal collision and includes emotional interviews with family members, investigators, and people close to the case.
Among them is Dominic’s father, Frank Russo, who recalled the heartwrenching moment he found the final message his son had sent before his tragic death.
On July 31, 2022, Shirilla, Russo, and Flanagan had attended a graduation party before later going to a friend’s house, where they reportedly listened to music and smoked marijuana, PEOPLE reported.
The group stayed there until the early hours of the morning before leaving around 5:30AM.
Shirilla was driving Russo and Flanagan home when her 2018 Toyota Camry slammed into a brick building at more than 100 mph.
The two boys were killed in the crash, while Shirilla survived with multiple serious injuries.
According to investigators, data from the car’s black box later showed Shirilla had the accelerator pressed down "100 percent" before impact and never touched the brakes.
The documentary includes police bodycam footage from the morning after the crash as officers tried to determine exactly what had happened.
During the exchange, Frank asked investigators whether they knew the time of the crash.
When police said they did not yet know, he looked at the timestamp of the last message his son had sent him.
The text, sent at 2:53AM, simply read: "Love you dad."
Although Shirilla has continued to insist the crash was not intentional, she was found guilty in 2023 on all 12 charges against her.
The convictions included murder, aggravated vehicular homicide, felonious assault, and drug possession.
Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Nancy Margaret Russo, who is not related to Dominic, said during sentencing: "She had a mission and she executed it with precision. The decision was death," per 3News.
Shirilla received two concurrent sentences of 15 years to life and is currently serving time at the Ohio Reformatory for Women.
"To the families of Dom and Davion, I am so deeply sorry,” she tearfully said during the sentencing, per WKYC.
"I hope one day you can see how I'd never let this happen or do it on purpose. I wish I could remember what happened. I'm just so sorry. I'm heartbroken," she added.
Despite the conviction, Shirilla’s parents have continued publicly defending their daughter.
Speaking to 3News, they said: "Show me one piece of evidence - one - that says she did this on purpose."
"Show it to me. Then she's right where she belongs and she's guilty of it. But there isn't any. There's no evidence (of) what was going on in that car other than information they gleaned from the black box," they added.
The Crash is now available to stream on Netflix.
.webp_ke6C2y?tr=cr-169.8.1505.1344,f-webp,q-70,w-100)