Netflix's documentary The Crash brought the case of Mackenzie Shirilla to a global audience, telling the story of the Ohio teenager who was convicted of murdering her boyfriend Dom and his friend Davion by deliberately crashing her car into a brick wall at 100mph in 2022. But as with any documentary, there are details and context that did not make it into the final cut.
The first is the extent of Shirilla's own injuries. The crash was catastrophic and Shirilla herself suffered a lacerated liver, a lacerated kidney and broken ribs. Supporters of Shirilla have consistently argued that no one would intentionally subject themselves to that level of physical harm, though prosecutors countered that she may not have anticipated the full consequences.
The second is the nature of her relationship with Dom in the weeks leading up to the crash. Court documents and testimony painted a picture of a relationship that had become increasingly volatile, with evidence presented of frequent arguments, controlling behaviour and jealousy on both sides. This context was touched on in the documentary but not explored in depth.
Third, the black box data from the vehicle was central to the prosecution's case and showed the car accelerating rather than braking in the moments before impact, with no brake application recorded at all. The documentary covers this but does not dwell on the technical specifics, which were among the most compelling evidence presented at trial.
Fourth, Shirilla's appeal centred on claims that her trial counsel was ineffective and that the evidence was insufficient to support a murder conviction. The 8th District Court of Appeals rejected both arguments and upheld the conviction in full.
Fifth and perhaps most affecting is the last text Dom sent his father Frank at 2.53am the morning he died. It read simply: "Love you dad."
Do you think Mackenzie Shirilla is guilty? 👇
