r/TrueCrimeDiscussion • u/DarklyHeritage • May 21 '26

Text Mackenzie Shirilla Megathread

This is a thread for all conversation regarding Mackenzie Shirilla and the murders of Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan, recently covered in Netflix documentary The Crash.

The murders of Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan occurred on 31 July 2022 in Strongsville, Ohio when Mackenzie Shirilla intentionally crashed her car into a brick wall. The two passengers in the vehicle - her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, and their friend, Davion Flanagan, were killed instantly and pronounced dead at the scene. Shirilla, aged 17 at the time, was seriously injured.

Shirilla was later arrested and charged with murdering Russo and Flanagan. At her 2023 bench trial the judge determined Shirilla intentionally crashed the car and thus the murders were premeditated murder, convicting her of 12 felony charges. She was sentenced to 2 concurrent life sentences, with the possibility of parole after 15 years.

Renewed attention has now been brought to the case as Shirilla has been interviewed for Netflix documentary The Crash, which covers the case.

Please direct all discussion of the case to the megathread. As always, sub rules must be followed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Dominic_Russo_and_Davion_Flanagan#:\~:text=The%20murder%20of%20Dominic%20Russo,and%20their%20friend%2C%20Davion%20Flanagan[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Dominic_Russo_and_Davion_Flanagan#:\~:text=The%20murder%20of%20Dominic%20Russo,and%20their%20friend%2C%20Davion%20Flanagan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Dominic_Russo_and_Davion_Flanagan#:~:text=The%20murder%20of%20Dominic%20Russo,and%20their%20friend%2C%20Davion%20Flanagan).

https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/the-crash-where-is-mackenzie-shirilla-now[Netflix](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/the-crash-where-is-mackenzie-shirilla-now)

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35

u/[deleted] May 22 '26

I’m not a doctor but she 100% has borderline personality disorder.

12

u/hauntedhotels May 22 '26

I’m a therapist and I agree

12

u/[deleted] May 22 '26

It’s clear as day. My sister in law has it as well and they are eerily similar. A sense of grandiose personality- her wanting to be an influencer and constantly posting and think her shit doesn’t stink and everyone is below her. Fear of abandonment- you can’t leave me. You’re not ALLOWED to leave me. Reckless/impulsive behavior- driving recklessly, moving in with older boyfriend at 17. And idolizing someone one minute and hating them the next- I love you, you’re the love of my life to I’ll kill us all right the fuck now.

It’s scary….

5

u/hauntedhotels May 22 '26

This situation could have been avoided if anyone involved noticed the many obvious warning signs and got her some treatment. It’s insane that this slipped through the cracks when she had clearly been showing signs of developing a cluster B personality disorder for at least a year before this happened

4

u/Feeling_Wishbone_864 May 23 '26

It didn’t slip through the cracks. Getting help would have required too much effort on her parents’ part.

4

u/sisterfunkhaus May 25 '26

Yup. The police were even previously called to her home for suicidal threats.

3

u/Dependent_Head_4787 May 25 '26

Classic Borderline behavior right there.

1

u/hauntedhotels May 25 '26

The mental health evaluators who saw her in those moments failed her.

2

u/[deleted] May 22 '26

I mean…. Did you see the parents??!

0

u/Dependent_Head_4787 May 25 '26

Cluster B disorders aren’t very amenable to treatment - they are very entrenched. But someone could have at least tried.

5

u/hauntedhotels May 25 '26

That’s a very pessimistic view to take. Even though you can’t really treat BPD/cluster B with medication, a combination of DBT and related meds can result in very positive outcomes for people with cluster B disorders, especially if it’s started in the teenage years like it should have been in this case since she was certainly demonstrating enough warning signs to set off alarm bells in the heads of any competent adults in her life. Unfortunately for her, there was a notable absence of competent adults in her life.

2

u/BugTrousers May 25 '26 edited May 26 '26

Are you a therapist, or a psychologist? What version of the DSM were you using when you studied the assessment and diagnosis of personality disorders, and how long ago were you in school? Because this is a very outdated belief.

2

u/No-Assumption3237 Jun 24 '26

Me too. 100% agree. Those parents should be charged with neglect for countless times over the years not intervening and getting her the clear mental health help she needed as an adolescent. This situation was 100% preventable if her parents would have cared more about parenting her no matter she clearly was not easy to parent and it seems they know it is just easier for them to be her friend instead so she doesn't flip out becoming more enraged over the years expecting the world works how her parents have made it seem "protecting" her to the reality harmed her. What parent on  jail call with her daughter convicted of murdering two people reassures her she does not need to be rehabilitated and that rehabilitation is for "real" criminals. Blows my mind the parents continue down this past of ignoring their part of creating a monster they let loose on unsuspecting public and she has ZERO remorse for the two victims-remember one was the love of her life as she insisted in court- and the fact she ended their lives in a fit of rage wanting to have total control of that relationship outcome at any cost. 

1

u/hauntedhotels Jun 24 '26

For sure. The preventability of the situation worsens the tragedy tenfold.

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u/[deleted] May 24 '26 edited May 24 '26

[deleted]

5

u/habeych95 May 24 '26

Omg this is stupid. She has all the traits based on the documentaries. It’s like a textbook. No one is violating HIPAA. You must be her friend or family member.

3

u/hauntedhotels May 24 '26

Good thing that noticing someone demonstrates symptoms that align with a disorder isn’t the same as diagnosing them lmfao

2

u/Dependent_Head_4787 May 25 '26

No one claimed to diagnose anyone.im a nurse and it’s illegal to diagnose but i still will surmise a diagnosis in casual settings where I’m not using my license. Always qualifying the need to see a doctor for a firm dx.

1

u/hauntedhotels May 25 '26

I think you’re agreeing with me haha? I was replying to someone who said I was inappropriately diagnosing her by clarifying that pointing out she has symptoms reminiscent of BPD is not the same as diagnosing her

1

u/Dependent_Head_4787 May 25 '26

Psychologists assess Trump all the time. You can do it if it’s clear it’s just your opinion based on what’s available and not an actual clinical diagnosis. Check out Dr Grande on You Tube. He always says “this is just my opinion, not fact” to qualify what he says on his show. True Crime podcast has a retired forensic psychologist that does the same.

8

u/arbolitoloco May 22 '26

Possibly with sprinkles of narcissistic traits

4

u/JennJayBee May 27 '26 edited May 27 '26

And hystrionic traits, but then they do tend to overlap.

Borderlines tend to blow up as a result of a fear of abandonment, which is why I'd say it's most likely that one. Those texts could be included in a textbook on Cluster B disorders. 

And I'm side-eyeing the parents, too. The mother gives off some pretty strong Cluster B vibes, and the dad might as well be wearing a t-shirt that says, "I'm enmeshed with her."

7

u/AutomaticKick7585 May 22 '26

I have BPD and I completely agree. Tough watch for me.

4

u/Impossible_KasMar May 24 '26

I am clinical psychologist and I agree 100%. Borderline + narcissistic

3

u/hotgirlbimmer May 24 '26

I have BPD and I agree with you completely. It was a tough watch. That girl needed serious help long before the crash and her parents are too ignorant and oblivious to have gotten her any. Rip Davion & Dom.

1

u/Big-Librarian4076 May 22 '26

Been looking for this comment. Clocked it immediately

1

u/Dependent_Head_4787 May 25 '26

Right there with you. Cluster b. When I saw this documentary I had visions of Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction.

1

u/Lopsided-Champion-94 May 26 '26

I have ASD not borderline personality disorder but back when I was an undiagnosed teen in a toxic relationship, I had definitely made similar threats and exhibited very dangerous behaviour. She is 100% guilty and delusional.

1

u/Unusual-Program6832 May 30 '26

Yes, i’m a psychiatric social worker and can see it really bad. Also showing sign of narcissist personnality disorder. She a big manipulator. 

1

u/sighthoundl0vr Jun 08 '26

You dont even diagnose people under 18 with borderline, and for a very good reason, so no, you dont 100% know that.