US5 min(s) read
Published 13:56 25 May 2026 GMT
A body language expert has shared their shock after spotting one detail during the interview of Mackenzie Shirilla's father on The Crash.
As previously reported, the new Netflix documentary centers on the case of Mackenzie Shirilla, who was 17 when she crashed her car into a wall at 100 mph, killing her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, 20, and their friend Davion Flanagan, 19.
As widely reported, Shirilla drove her Toyota Camry into the Plidco Building in Ohio at upwards of 100 mph on July 31, 2022.
During the documentary, Shirilla and other key figures in her case, including her family, were interviewed on camera.
A body language expert, who goes by The Behavioral Arts on YouTube, revealed that he 'cold reads' people based on their body language and their choice of clothing, which can reveal a lot more about them than they know.
He revealed that he "couldn't believe" what he was seeing when he saw the choice of T-shirt Mackenzie's father, Steve Shirilla, had chosen to wear.
He explained: "The moment I saw Steve on the screen, there was something that jumped out at me that I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
"And it's the fact that he's literally wearing a T-shirt that has a cartoon 'boom' on it."
The font of the word was in a comic book style, where words such as 'pow' or 'bang' woud visually represent the action.
He added: "I'm looking at this going 'what happened here?' This guy woke up, knowing that that day he's going to film a documentary about the car crash that his daughter caused, that claimed two lives, and he went over to his T-shirt drawer and he went 'hmm [...] that one, that's the perfect one to wear for this documentary.'"
The body language expert also pointed out that Steve is a teacher of art and digital media, "so he understands the meaning of art and what it communicates and what we perceive."
"So it totally blew my mind that he has this T-shirt, let alone wears it on this interview," the body language expert admitted.
He also weighed up the options surrounding the shirt, adding: "Totally subjectively, either he knew what he was doing, or if we give him the benefit of the doubt, this is a completely tone-deaf, clueless decision to wear this T-shirt and not realize the implication that it has in this documentary."
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.
The body language expert wasn't the only one who questioned Steve's choice of outfit, as one person on X described it 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 also 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.
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