Davion Flanagan was a 19-year-old from Strongsville, Ohio, who was tragically killed alongside his friend, 20-year-old Dominic Russo, on July 31, 2022. The high-speed car crash was later ruled by a judge to be an act of intentional double murder committed by the driver, Russo’s girlfriend, Mackenzie Shirilla.
The case has drawn renewed public interest following the May 2026 release of the true-crime documentary The Crash.
Who Was Davion Flanagan?
Davion Flanagan was a 2022 graduate of Strongsville High School, where he was a star football player. At age eight, he and his two siblings had been adopted by Jamie and Scott Flanagan. Described by family and friends as a warm and well-liked young man, Davion was in the process of applying to barber schools at the time of his death. To honor his memory, his family established the Davion Flanagan Memorial Scholarship to provide financial and educational support to aspiring barbers.
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The Fatal Incident
In the early morning hours of July 31, 2022, Flanagan, Russo, and Shirilla (then 17) were returning home after spending time at a friend’s house.
The Crash: At approximately 5:30 AM, Shirilla drove her Toyota Camry into a commercial business park in Strongsville. Surveillance footage captured her accelerating the vehicle to 100 mph (160 km/h) before intentionally steering directly into a brick wall at a T-intersection.
The Aftermath: Responding officers described it as one of the worst vehicular scenes they had ever witnessed. Russo, sitting in the passenger seat, and Flanagan, sitting in the back seat, were both killed instantly upon impact. Shirilla survived with severe injuries.
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The Trial and Conviction
During a 2023 bench trial, the prosecution argued that Shirilla deliberately crashed the vehicle to end a toxic, turbulent relationship with Russo, and that Flanagan was an innocent bystander who simply happened to be in the back seat.
The Defense: Shirilla’s defense team argued that the crash was an accident, claiming she lost consciousness due to postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). However, onboard vehicle computer data revealed that the accelerator pedal was pressed down to 100% capacity and that there was zero attempt to use the brakes.
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The Verdict: On August 14, 2023, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Nancy Margaret Russo found Shirilla guilty of 12 felony counts, including four counts of murder. The judge stated, “This was not reckless driving. This was murder.”
Sentencing: Shirilla was sentenced to two concurrent terms of life in prison with the possibility of parole after 15 years. Her appeals have been repeatedly denied.
Recent Developments (May 2026)
The case is back in the spotlight due to the true-crime documentary “The Crash,” which premiered on Netflix on May 15, 2026. The film features the first-ever public prison interview with Mackenzie Shirilla, who maintains her innocence regarding the murder charge, claiming she has no recollection of the seconds leading up to the impact. The documentary also features extensive interviews with Davion Flanagan’s family, detailing the profound grief and the sudden void left by his loss.
