Netflix’s The Crash revisited the tragic 2022 case involving Mackenzie Shirilla, who was convicted after crashing her car into a brick wall at nearly 100 mph, executing her boyfriend Dominic Russo and his friend Davion Flanagan.
The documentary explores the crash, the investigation, and Shirilla’s side of the story, including interviews from prison and her social media presence.
However, by omitting several disturbing and controversial details that later emerged during court proceedings and their aftermath, the film may significantly change viewers’ understanding of the case.
Here are key parts of the story that many viewers may have overlooked.
#1 Mackenzie Allegedly Asked Her Mom To Tell Police She Had A Seizure, While Other Evidence Raised More Questions
One of the most unsettling details left out of Netflix’s The Crash involved a hospital conversation between Mackenzie Shirilla and her mother that prosecutors later used in court.
While Shirilla was being interviewed after the crash, police recorded an exchange where she and her mom allegedly spoke in what Assistant Professor Tim Troup described as a “unique language”, reportedly a version of pig Latin.
According to investigators, after Detective Zaki Hazou informed them that Mackenzie was being investigated for aggravated vehicular homicide, she turned to her mother and allegedly said, “Can we tell the police I had a seizure, can we tell the police something like that?”
She also later asked the detective, “Can’t you just take my license away for like, 10 years?”
The recording became significant because Shirilla’s defense later argued that she suffered a medical emergency before the crash.
Her lawyers claimed she may have passed out due to postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), though no diagnosis was provided.
First responder Brett Stanislaw testified that her pulse and neurological responses appeared normal after the crash and said his observations did not point toward a stroke or seizure, though he admitted he could not completely rule out an earlier episode.
Prosecutors also introduced cell phone data that allegedly showed Shirilla had been near the crash site in the days before the incident, arguing she may have been “scoping out” the location.
Another detail not included in the documentary was that, while recovering in the hospital, Shirilla and her mother contacted a Los Angeles modeling agency.
Prosecutors argued it suggested she was attempting to benefit from public sympathy and present herself as a victim after the crash.
Image source: Strongsville Police Department, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office
#2 Mackenzie Allegedly Told A Doctor That It Was “Her Fault For Killing Her Boyfriend.” + She Attended A Concert Months After The Crash, Showing ‘Lack Of Remorse
Another detail The Crash left out involved statements Shirilla allegedly made after learning that her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, and his friend, Davion Flanagan, had passed away.
According to court documents, doctors noted that Shirilla was experiencing “grief, guilt, and shame.” Medical records stated that she “wanted to d*e” and allegedly said it was “her fault for killing her boyfriend.”
She also later texted Dominic’s brother, Angelo Russo.
In one August 2022 message, Mackenzie wrote, “I know you probably think this is all my fault … I wish that he were here, too. This should have never happened … I really do feel bad. It’s killing me.”
However, prosecutors later introduced different evidence during trial proceedings.
They showed footage of Shirilla attending a concert in a wheelchair months after the crash while the investigation was still ongoing.
Prosecutors argued that it reflected a lack of remorse and used it to challenge the defense’s portrayal of her emotional state.
The contrast between her private messages and the evidence later presented in court became another part of the story that Netflix did not explore.
Image source: Ohio Reformatory for Women
#3 Dominic’s Sister Claimed Mackenzie’s Mom Lied To Them About Her Health Status In The Hospital
Another detail not explored in The Crash concerned allegations made by Russo’s sister, Christine, about events in the days immediately after the accident.
According to Christine, the Russo family initially believed the crash had been an accident and were deeply concerned about Shirilla’s condition.
In a May 11 YouTube video, she said, “We thought it was an accident for a while, and we were really, really worried about Mackenzie and how she was doing.”
Christine claimed that she regularly checked in with Shirilla’s mother, Natalie Shirilla, and was repeatedly told that Shirilla had not regained consciousness.
“Her mother told us that she was unconscious and hadn’t woken up,” Christine said.
She further alleged, “Natalie told me, my dad, and my sister for days that she was unconscious.”
Christine later questioned those claims and added, “And now looking back, she was waiting to form her story.”
Police reportedly found Shirilla unconscious and not breathing immediately after the crash, and she was transported to a hospital for treatment.
However, there is no public record indicating she remained unconscious for three days. Shirilla also later shared photos from the hospital during her recovery.
Image source: Netflix
#4 Dominic’s Gravesite Was Allegedly Burned Down
Another heartbreaking detail not covered in The Crash involved Russo’s gravesite. Nearly a year after his passing, Russo’s sister Christine claimed that his memorial site had been severely damaged in what she described as a fire.
In a June 2023 GoFundMe post, Christine shared a photo of the burned gravesite and wrote, His grave was set on fire, and everything burned to the ground.”
According to her, almost nothing survived.
“Nothing was salvageable except a cement cross,” she wrote, adding that many of the lost items carried deep personal meaning.
She said the damage included “flowers and ribbon from his funeral, letters from his nieces and nephews and friends and siblings and parents, stuffed animals, things that can’t be replaced.”
Christine created the fundraiser in hopes of restoring the site “so that we can get his grave back to how it was.”
Two months later, she shared an update and thanked people who had donated.
Alongside a photo of the restored memorial, she wrote, “We were able to recreate Dom’s grave beautifully.”
She added that future donations could help pay for updated memorial items or possibly “a nice custom bench, or a memorial site at the rec where we used to watch Dom play basketball.”
She ended the message with, “Thanks again. We love you so much, Dom.”
Image source: GoFundMe
#5 Davion’s Family Launched A Scholarship In Their Son’s Honor
While The Crash largely focused on Shirilla and her relationship with Russo, it spent far less time on Flanagan and the life he hoped to build before the crash.
Flanagan had been a talented athlete and football player, but after dealing with injuries, he began planning a different future. He wanted to attend barber school and eventually open his own barbershop.
After his passing, Flanagan’s parents, Jaime and Scott Flanagan, decided to honor that dream by creating a scholarship fund to help low-income aspiring barbers attend school.
Speaking to People in 2023, Jaime said, “The amount of good that could be done in Davion’s name and the impact that he could still have on the world is something that gives us some joy and hope in the middle of all of this sadness and devastation.”
Scott added, “If we could help one or several or many of those people to a better, brighter future in our son’s name and our son’s honor, then that truly is a blessing.”
As of May 2026, the scholarship fund had raised more than $82,000, allowing Davion’s dream to continue helping others long after his passing.
Image source: Netflix
