Dominic Russo was a 20-year-old from the Cleveland area who was killed on July 31, 2022, when his 17-year-old girlfriend, Mackenzie Shirilla, drove her car into a brick building in Strongsville, Ohio, at roughly 100 miles per hour. His friend Davion Flanagan, 19, was also killed. Shirilla was convicted of murder in August 2023 and sentenced to 15 years to life. Russo’s family has since pushed a proposed Ohio bill called Dom’s Law aimed at preventing convicted violent offenders from profiting on social media.
Who Dominic Russo Was
Dominic Anthony Russo was born on September 24, 2001, to Christine (née Agnello) and Frank Russo. He was one of seven siblings: Angelo, Christopher, Christine, Nicole, Michael, and Frank.1Cleveland.com Obituaries. Dominic Russo Obituary His funeral was held on August 8, 2022, at St. Joseph Church, with services at A. Ripepi & Sons Funeral Home in Middleburg Heights.2Dignity Memorial. Dominic Russo Obituary
The weekend he died, Russo was teaching Davion Flanagan how to work on a car. Flanagan, a Strongsville High School running back who had been planning to attend the Allstate Hairstyling and Barber College in Cleveland, was staying at the Russo home.3Cleveland.com. After Davion Was Killed by a Teen Driver, His Family Still Seeks Closure The two were relatively new friends.
How He Died
On the night of July 31, 2022, Shirilla was driving with Russo in the passenger seat and Flanagan also in the vehicle. According to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, the car traveled at a controlled speed down Progress Road in Strongsville before Shirilla accelerated to roughly 100 mph and slammed into the Plidco Building, a brick structure at the intersection of Progress Drive and Alameda Drive.4Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office. Strongsville Woman Sentenced to Life in Prison for Crash That Killed Two
The wreckage went undiscovered for about 45 minutes, until a passerby saw it and called police. Both Russo and Flanagan were killed. Investigators pulled the vehicle’s Event Data Recorder and found the accelerator pedal had been pressed all the way down in the seconds before impact and that the brake was never applied.4Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office. Strongsville Woman Sentenced to Life in Prison for Crash That Killed Two A forensic examination of the car found no mechanical defects that could have contributed to the crash.
The Relationship With Mackenzie Shirilla
Shirilla and Russo began dating around 2018. Text messages obtained by the Strongsville Police Department and later reported publicly show years of accusations between the two involving cheating, threats, and reckless behavior.5People. Mackenzie Shirilla and Dominic Russo’s Text Messages
In one August 2021 exchange, Russo alleged Shirilla had threatened to stab him in the eye. In March 2022, he said she pulled his hair and threw a rock at him; Shirilla acknowledged having “anger issues” but said she threw the rock because he was filming her during an argument. Both accused the other of blackmail on multiple occasions. In a July 17, 2022, message, Shirilla wrote she could “blackmail you 30 times harder.”5People. Mackenzie Shirilla and Dominic Russo’s Text Messages
Two weeks before the fatal crash, a separate driving incident became a focal point for prosecutors. On or around July 17, 2022, Shirilla texted Russo: “The fact that my boyfriend of four years just tried to end my life by steering me off of the highway.” Russo denied the allegation.6Entertainment Weekly. Mackenzie Shirilla’s Texts to Boyfriend Dominic Russo Prosecutors later cited this exchange as evidence of prior calculation.
Why Prosecutors Called It Murder
The state’s case rested on forensic data, surveillance footage, digital evidence, and witness testimony pointing to an intentional act rather than an accident or medical episode.
The Event Data Recorder showed the accelerator floored for the final five seconds before impact, reaching about 98 mph, with no braking at all. Three seconds before the collision, the gear shift was manually moved from drive to neutral and back to drive. The car made a sharp right-hand turn just before impact, which investigators said may have been an attempt to ensure the passenger side struck the wall.7People. Why Did Mackenzie Shirilla Crash Her Car
Surveillance video showed Shirilla driving normally before suddenly accelerating. GPS data from her phone also placed her at the crash site three days earlier, which prosecutors argued showed she had scouted the location. A witness named Christopher Martin testified he had previously heard Shirilla say during an argument with Russo that she was “going to wreck this car right now.”7People. Why Did Mackenzie Shirilla Crash Her Car Forensic auto investigators testified there was no known malfunction that could have caused the accelerator to stick or be pressed involuntarily.
The defense argued the crash resulted from a medical emergency, a claim Shirilla has maintained. She later cited a diagnosis of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) as a possible explanation, asserting she blacked out before impact.8Netflix Tudum. The Crash – Where Is Mackenzie Shirilla Now
Conviction and Sentence
Shirilla opted for a bench trial in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, and Judge Nancy Margaret Russo presided.9The Columbus Dispatch. Mackenzie Shirilla, Woman in Netflix Documentary, Crash Ohio Murder On August 14, 2023, the judge found Shirilla guilty on all 12 counts against her: four counts of murder, four counts of felonious assault, two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, one count of drug possession, and one count of possessing criminal tools.4Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office. Strongsville Woman Sentenced to Life in Prison for Crash That Killed Two
Announcing the verdict, Judge Russo said: “Her actions were controlled, methodical, deliberate, intentional and purposeful. This was not reckless driving. This was murder.”10Court TV. Teen Guilty of Intentionally Killing Boyfriend, Friend Faces Sentencing
On August 21, 2023, Shirilla was sentenced to two concurrent terms of 15 years to life, one for each victim. She must serve a minimum of 15 years before parole eligibility.8Netflix Tudum. The Crash – Where Is Mackenzie Shirilla Now Her first parole hearing is scheduled for September 2037. She is incarcerated at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville. Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley said in a statement: “No sentence imposed will enable these families to heal from this senseless act.”4Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office. Strongsville Woman Sentenced to Life in Prison for Crash That Killed Two
Appeals
Shirilla’s defense team pursued multiple appeals, all unsuccessful. In September 2024, the Eighth District Court of Appeals upheld her conviction, and in April 2025 the Ohio Supreme Court declined to take up that appeal.11KVUE. Mackenzie Shirilla Murder Appeal, Ohio Supreme Court
On October 24, 2024, her attorneys filed a petition for post-conviction relief arguing ineffective assistance of counsel and new medical evidence suggesting she may have blacked out. Judge Nancy Margaret Russo denied the petition on procedural grounds, ruling it was filed one day past Ohio’s 365-day deadline; her attorneys blamed a calendar error involving the 2024 leap year.12NewsNation. Mackenzie Shirilla, The Crash, Appeal Trial The Eighth District upheld that denial on March 12, 2026, and on June 23, 2026, the Ohio Supreme Court declined to accept jurisdiction, with Justice R. Patrick DeWine the lone dissenter.131011 NOW. Ohio Supreme Court Declines to Review Mackenzie Shirilla’s Case The conviction and sentence remain intact.
The Netflix Documentary and the Family’s Response
On May 15, 2026, Netflix released a documentary titled The Crash, which reconstructed the case through interviews with the victims’ families, friends, investigators, and Shirilla herself.14People. Where Is Davion Flanagan’s Family Now In a prison interview, Shirilla says she has no memory of the crash: “I’m not saying I’m innocent. I was a driver of a tragedy, but I’m not a murderer.” Her attorney was present for the entire interview.8Netflix Tudum. The Crash – Where Is Mackenzie Shirilla Now
The film also shows social media posts and TikTok videos Shirilla made between the crash and her trial. Those posts were not used as evidence of guilt during the bench trial, but prosecutors introduced them at sentencing to argue she had shown a “shocking lack of remorse.”8Netflix Tudum. The Crash – Where Is Mackenzie Shirilla Now
Dominic’s sister Christine publicly criticized the documentary, accusing the filmmakers of misrepresenting the case and giving Shirilla “exactly what she’s always wanted.”15Entertainment Weekly. Sister of Crash Victim Infuriated by Mackenzie Shirilla’s Fame16People. Where Is Dominic Russo’s Family Now17Yahoo Entertainment. Crash Victim Dominic Russo’s Sister
Frank Russo, Dominic’s father, expressed a more complicated view. In a 2023 NBC News interview before sentencing, he said he did not want Shirilla imprisoned for the rest of her life: “I don’t want the rest of her life ruined too. It isn’t going to make me feel any better.” He called her “just a little kid” who “did a damn stupid thing,” and said he wished she could get help, while also saying he would support a reduced sentence if she told the truth about what happened.18NBC News. Father of 20-Year-Old Murdered by Girlfriend in 100 MPH Crash
Christine described the toll of the continuing legal proceedings: “There’s no resting; there’s no finding peace. It’s just constant, like them slapping it again in our face every six months.”16People. Where Is Dominic Russo’s Family Now
Dom’s Law
After The Crash aired, Christine Russo launched a petition for legislation she calls “Dom’s Law,” formally titled “Victims Before Influencers: Modernizing the Son of Sam’s Law.” The proposal is named for both Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan.19WVLT. Family Pushes Dom’s Law to Block Convicted Violent Offenders From Profiting on Social Media
Ohio already has a “Son of Sam” law dating to the 1970s that is designed to prevent violent offenders from profiting off their crimes. According to Christine Russo, the existing statute mostly targets income from traditional media such as book deals, journals, and news articles, and does not account for the modern digital economy. Dom’s Law would extend the prohibition to social media platform payouts, brand deals, livestream gifts and subscriptions, online crowdfunding, paid interviews, documentaries, merchandise, and sponsorships, and would try to close loopholes involving proxy accounts or third-party channels used to funnel crime-related income to offenders.20Cleveland 19. Ohio Family Pushes Dom’s Law to Block Convicted Violent Offenders From Profiting on Social Media
Christine alleged that Shirilla has received thousands of dollars in online donations from supporters since the documentary aired, funding what she described as a comfortable lifestyle behind bars.15Entertainment Weekly. Sister of Crash Victim Infuriated by Mackenzie Shirilla’s Fame She received help drafting the petition from Megan Tomlinson, founder of Silver Lining of Hope, Inc., a victims’ advocacy nonprofit Tomlinson started after her own mother was murdered in 2024.19WVLT. Family Pushes Dom’s Law to Block Convicted Violent Offenders From Profiting on Social Media As of mid-2026, the effort remains in the petition stage, with no legislative co-sponsors or hearings publicly announced.