After Watching Netflix’s ‘The Crash,’ Many Want to Know Where Mackenzie Shirilla Is Now

Netflix’s The Crash has introduced a whole new wave of viewers to one of the most heavily debated true crime cases. As clips from the documentary spread across TikTok, Reddit, and Facebook, many people are now asking the same question: Where is Mackenzie Shirilla now?

In 2022, there was a fatal automobile crash involving Mackenzie Shirilla that shocked the state of Ohio before gaining national attention. Per the details of the case, prosecutors accused Mackenzie Shirilla of intentionally driving her car into a brick wall at more than 100 mph, killing her boyfriend Dominic Russo and their friend Davion Flanagan. Mackenzie Shirilla, who was 17 years old at the time, survived the crash and was later convicted of murder in a bench trial.

Years later, largely thanks to the Netflix documentary, the case still sparks intense curiosity online.

Mackenzie Shirilla is currently serving her sentence in an Ohio women’s prison in Marysville while her legal team continues filing appeals and post-conviction relief petitions.

Following the release of Netflix’s The Crash, renewed public interest in the case has pushed Shirilla’s name back into social media conversations. On TikTok and Reddit, individuals continue debating whether the crash was intentional or the result of some kind of medical event.

According to People Magazine, Shirilla’s parents, Steve and Natalie Shirilla, publicly spoke out in 2025 and claimed their daughter may have lost consciousness before the crash. They cited health data and opinions from neurologist Dr. Kamal Chemali that they believe support the possibility of a medical episode occurring moments before impact.

Prosecutors, however, argued throughout the trial that Shirilla intentionally accelerated following months of alleged turmoil in her relationship with Dominic Russo.

Investigators testified that the vehicle’s accelerator pedal was fully depressed before the crash, with no evidence of braking or mechanical failure.

That disagreement over what truly happened inside the car is a huge reason the case still generates so much discussion online years later.

In 2023, per NBC News, Shirilla was sentenced to two concurrent 15-year-to-life prison sentences after being found guilty on 12 charges, including murder, aggravated vehicular homicide, felonious assault, and drug possession.

Because the sentences run concurrently instead of consecutively, Mackenzie Shirilla could become eligible for parole after approximately 15 years, taking into account time already served before sentencing.

Judge Nancy Margaret Russo, who presided over the bench trial, described Shirilla as “hell on wheels” before handing down the verdict.

“She had a mission, and she executed it with precision,” the judge said during sentencing, according to 3News coverage. “The decision was death.”

Not everyone connected to the case agrees on what justice should look like, though.

Some members of Dominic Russo’s family have publicly said they believe the sentence should have been harsher. Dominic Russo’s father, however, told NBC News he hoped Mackenzie Shirilla could eventually receive rehabilitation and treatment.

“I lost my son,” Dominic Russo’s father said. “But I don’t want the rest of her life ruined too.”

Part of what continues making the case so heavily debated online is how differently people interpret Mackenzie Shirilla herself.

Some social media users and Reddit commenters point to allegations about Mackenzie Shirilla’s behavior before the crash and fully support the prosecution’s theory that the collision was intentional. Others believe there are still unanswered questions about the investigation, especially after Mackenzie Shirilla’s family began publicly discussing the possibility of a medical event.

"It’s nice to see her true colors have been brought to light and that everyone knows she is a monster of a person. I’m happy she’s locked away where she can’t hurt anyone anymore." One individual penned in a Reddit thread claiming Shirilla bullied them in high school.

Another individual chimed in, suggesting that her being behind bars had nothing to do with her being guilty: "Karma does not exist, she is in jail because of Russo's family power, not because committed or not committed something."

For many, the biggest reason the story remains so haunting is because of the ages involved. Shirilla was still a teenager at the time of the crash, while Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan were both just beginning adulthood before their lives were cut short.

Thanks to Netflix bringing the story back into the spotlight, a new audience is once again debating a question that has never really gone away: Was the crash intentional or did Shirilla suffer a medical event moments before?