US4 min(s) read
Published 13:27 28 May 2026 GMT
Here's why Mackenzie Shirilla and her parents insist she's innocent of murdering boyfriend and friend
Mackenzie Shirilla's murder case has been thrust into the spotlight in recent weeks following the release of Netflix's The Crash true crime documentary.
It covers the investigation into the deaths of Dominic Russo, 20, and Davion Flanagan, 19, who were passengers in a car that crashed into a brick wall at over 100 mph (160 km/h) in July 2022.
Mackenzie, 17 at the time, was behind the wheel and would be found wedged between the seat and door by first responders.
While the group were at a party prior to the crash in the early hours of the morning, toxicology tests ruled out drug and alcohol impairment, and Mackenzie would be found guilty of killing the two men in 2023.
The judge determined it to be a premeditated murder, Mackenzie was convicted of 12 felony charges and sentenced to two concurrent life sentences, with the possibility of parole in 2037.
Why do Mackenzie Shirilla's parents think she's innocent?
Mackenzie and her parents believe that a medical condition caused her to crash, resulting in the deaths of her ex-boyfriend Dominic and his friend, Davion.
They believe it to be a tragic accident and not murder, despite prosecutors presenting evidence that the judge agreed showed that it was intentional.
Uncovered text messages reveal that Mackenzie and Dominic had a tumultuous relationship to say the least, with prosecutors using this point in their arguments.
The convict claimed publicly and again in the doc that she does not remember the crash, as her defense attorney argued that she may have had a medical emergency and passed out due to postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a chronic medical condition.
No medical records confirmed this diagnosis.
What did Mackenzie Shirilla's parents say?
Mackenzie's parents, who appeared in the documentary, denied that Mackenzie's actions were intentional, claiming that POTS was the cause of the crash.
Speaking during the trial, her mother claimed that "she’s not a murderer" in a long victim statement, which the judge interrupted to point out: “I’m hearing an awful lot about your daughter; I’m not hearing much about the two dead people.”
Natalie was questioned on the stand about allowing her daughter to get a driver's license after allegedly being diagnosed with the condition.
Her parents dispute claims that Mackenzie had been acting erratically in the weeks leading up to the crash, threatening to crash her car with her boyfriend inside, with Dominic's mother reporting this account of events to police.
Instead, they showed alleged messages that show Mackenzie telling Dominic's mother that her boyfriend was “trying to end my life.”
Speaking to 3News in May 2025, Natalie said: "We gave her attorney the text messages, we gave her attorney the medical records, we gave her attorney the car expert."
The Crash states that her family "continues to fight her conviction."
Dominic's chilling message to Mackenzie
A text message obtained by TMZ shows Dominic speaking to Mackenzie roughly four weeks before the crash, pointing out that life is short.
He wrote: "Kenzie u know i love u but i dont think we should be together at this point there isnt very much time on earth."
Dominic goes on to speak about their fights and their on-again, off-again relationship, telling her how he feels.
He wrote: "I dont want u to think im abandoning u i wish it could work but i dont think its going to at this point especially with the threats we should just breakup so we can both fimd happiness somewhere else."
The text was sent on July 2, 2022, which was 29 days before the car crash that ended his life.
Speaking in the Netflix doc, Mackenzie, now 21, claims she is not a "monster," explaining that it is "really hard every day" for her behind bars, despite claims from former inmates.
"I try to wake up and be the best person I can be every day, stay out of trouble. There's not a moment that doesn't pass where I don't think about [Russo and Flanagan]," she claimed in the doc.
Speaking during the sentencing, the judge said that the teen's actions were "controlled, methodical, deliberate, intentional, and purposeful," and that she wanted to kill the men.