Film & TV5 min(s) read
Published 15:07 21 May 2026 GMT
Mackenzie Shirilla's dad has been criticized for wearing a "tone deaf" T-shirt during the Netflix documentary on his daughter's 2022 crash.
As widely reported, Shirilla, then 17, killed Dominic Russo, 20, and Davion Flanagan, 19, after driving her Toyota Camry into the Plidco Building in Ohio at upwards of 100 mph on July 31, 2022.
Russo was Shirilla's boyfriend of four years, while Flanagan was the couple's friend.
During the 2023 trial, prosecutors argued the horrific collision was deliberate, claiming Shirilla never attempted to brake or lift her foot off the accelerator before impact.
Investigators also alleged the driver had previously threatened to crash the vehicle during arguments with her late boyfriend.
Shirilla was eventually found guilty of all 12 charges against her, including murder, aggravated vehicular homicide, felonious assault, and drug possession.
The now-21-year-old is serving 15 years to life in prison at the Ohio Reformatory for Women.
On May 15, Netflix premiered its new documentary, The Crash, which dives into the events leading up to the crash and includes interviews with family members, investigators, and people close to the case.
One person who was interviewed was Shirilla's father, Steve, who was blasted on social media for donning a t-shirt that said "Boom".
One person on X described his outfit of choice as "tone deaf," while another user on Reddit said his top was "beyond poor taste," adding: "It was disgusting, insensitive and downright vindictive."
This is not the first time the accused murderer's father has been slammed on the internet.
He also caused an uproar after saying he didn't have a problem with his daughter's drug use.
"I don't have a problem with her smoking dope. If you're going to smoke a drug, that's the one I believe you should take," he said.
Steve later told TMZ the remarks had been taken completely out of context.
"That is part of a longer answer... I can't remember what the question was because the documentary people had interviewed us for two days straight and then came back and did more interviews so there was a lot of questions answered."
He insisted: "My answer wasn't in support of marijuana, it wasn't saying, I'm smoking marijuana. What I was saying was, who am I to say who can smoke and who can't smoke. I never allowed my daughter to smoke marijuana."
He also denied knowing she had allegedly smoked inside the vehicle before the crash.
"I'm not with my daughter all the time, all I can do is tell my daughter, don't do it," he said. "I told her many times, I had no idea she was smoking in the car like that, that was new to me.
"I couldn't stop her. Am I supposed to lock her up in a room? I had no idea she was driving and smoking... if I'd known, I would have had a huge issue about it. I didn't know, I don't know what else to tell you," he added.
Following his appearance on the show, Steve, who served as an art and digital media teacher at Mary Queen of Peace School in Cleveland, was placed on administrative leave.
According to Cleveland 19 News, students and parents were informed through an email that stated: "We are investigating allegations made on social media that one of our teachers has demonstrated poor judgement."
Administrators reassured families that "the safety, well-being, and trust of students" continued to be their highest priority.
The statement also noted the school was "limited" in what it could publicly share "during an active personnel investigation," but promised additional updates when possible.
The 21-year-old's father told NBC News that "we believe she’s been falsely accused of something".
"We believe there’s no evidence," he continued. "There’s no evidence that you can show me that says prior calculation, intent, there’s nothing.
"I don’t know how it left the juvenile court. There’s zero evidence. All the prosecution has that’s factual is five seconds of black box information," he added.
Shirilla's mother, Natalie, also believes that her daughter didn’t get a fair trial and that her first attorney didn’t use much of the information the family turned in.
"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 the outlet. "I will never, ever, never stop. There is no expiration on truth.
"Mackenzie would never hurt them or anybody she loves. She stands up for people that are in trouble or struggling. That’s who she is," she added.
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