‘The Crash’ on Netflix: Where is Mackenzie Shirilla Now?
New York Post
Overall Assessment
The article frames the case through an emotionally charged, critical lens of the justice system, emphasizing Shirilla’s victimhood and influencer persona. It relies heavily on her personal narrative while omitting key legal facts and victim perspectives. The tone and structure align more with advocacy or commentary than neutral reporting.
"That denial of the appeal was recently upheld in March 2026, after a review of the appeal, which stated the appeal came just one day too late after the 365-day deadline."
Misleading Context
Headline & Lead 45/100
Headline and lead prioritize emotional engagement and true crime framing over neutral, informative journalism.
✕ Framing by Emphasis: Headline focuses on a Netflix documentary and a personal detail (where someone is now), framing the story as true crime entertainment rather than a serious legal or social issue. This appeals to curiosity rather than informing about the core event.
"‘The Crash’ on Netflix: Where is Mackenzie Shirilla Now?"
✕ Loaded Language: The lead paragraph immediately frames the documentary as manipulative and emotionally charged, using evaluative language like 'not an easy watch' and suggesting the justice system is 'vengeful'—this sets a subjective tone before presenting facts.
"The Crash documentary on Netflix is not an easy watch. The documentary is framed as a true crime case, meant to convince us that a 17-year-old girl is a guilty, evil murderer who deserves to ‘sit in a cage for a long time, because of what she did,’ as one law officer who investigated her case puts it. But it’s hard not too feel like you’re watching a documentary about a tragedy made worse by the vengeful nature of the American justice system."
✕ Narrative Framing: The headline uses a common tabloid-style format (‘Where is X now?’), typical of celebrity or sensational crime coverage, which risks trivializing a serious legal case.
"‘The Crash’ on Netflix: Where is Mackenzie Shirilla Now?"
Language & Tone 40/100
Language is judgmental and emotionally charged, undermining objectivity.
✕ Loaded Language: Uses emotionally loaded terms like 'vengeful nature of the American justice system' and 'self-obsessed, emotional, narcissistic teenager,' which inject strong moral judgment.
"But it’s hard not too feel like you’re watching a documentary about a tragedy made worse by the vengeful nature of the American justice system."
✕ Editorializing: Characterizes influencer culture as inherently problematic, suggesting moral disapproval beyond legal facts.
"It is not illegal to be a self-obsessed, emotional, narcissistic teenager who cares more about her social media following than her friends."
✕ Appeal to Emotion: Phrasing like 'not an easy watch' and 'tragedy made worse' appeals to emotion rather than neutrality.
"The Crash documentary on Netflix is not an easy watch."
Balance 35/100
Relies on limited, one-sided sources with vague attributions and lacks balanced stakeholder input.
✕ Omission: Only includes Mackenzie Shirilla’s perspective and a quote from a law officer. Omits statements from victims’ families, prosecutors, medical experts, or legal analysts that would balance the narrative.
"I just want to make sure I’m big on the no intent,” Shirilla says..."
✕ Vague Attribution: Quotes a law officer characterizing Shirilla as someone who deserves to ‘sit in a cage for a long time,’ but does not identify the officer or provide context for the statement, weakening accountability.
"as one law officer who investigated her case puts it"
✕ Cherry-Picking: Presents Shirilla’s medical speculation about POTS as a possible cause without citing medical or forensic evaluation, potentially giving undue weight to unverified claims.
"Shirilla maintains that she has no memory of the crash, but speculates that perhaps the crash was caused by a medical emergency related to her health condition, POTS, which can cause unexpected fainting."
Completeness 30/100
Key legal and personal context is missing or inaccurately reported, reducing factual reliability.
✕ Misleading Context: The article omits key legal developments known from other reporting, such as the Ohio Supreme Court denying review in May 2025 and the Eighth District Court affirming the denial in March 2025—instead citing a March 2026 review, which contradicts known facts.
"That denial of the appeal was recently upheld in March 2026, after a review of the appeal, which stated the appeal came just one day too late after the 365-day deadline."
✕ Omission: The article fails to mention that Mackenzie’s first lawyer did not use submitted family evidence, a point raised by her family in other media, which is relevant to fairness of trial.
✕ Selective Coverage: No mention of the victim impact or public response from the Flanagan or Russo families beyond the podcast, despite known emotional toll described in other outlets.
The legal process is framed as illegitimate due to reliance on persona over evidence and missed appeals
[cherry_picking], [misleading_context], [omission]
"And yet, the prosecution in Shirilla’s case—and, by extension, this Netflix documentary—used Shirilla’s persona as an influencer as criminal evidence in court that she intentionally murdered her boyfriend and friend."
Courts are portrayed as failing to deliver fair justice due to rigid procedural denial of appeal
[misleading_context], [omission]
"That denial of the appeal was recently upheld in March 2026, after a review of the appeal, which stated the appeal came just one day too late after the 365-day deadline."
Mackenzie Shirilla is framed as a wrongfully excluded individual deserving of empathy and redemption
[appeal_to_emotion], [narrative_framing]
"I just want to make sure I’m big on the no intent,” Shirilla says at the end of her interview, after consulting her lawyer. “There was no intent whatsoever. I have excessive amounts of remorse for Dominic, Davion, both of their families. This was not intentional and I will do everything I can to prove that to the world and the families."
Prosecution and justice system framed as morally vengeful and corrupt in motivation
[loaded_language], [editorializing]
"But it’s hard not too feel like you’re watching a documentary about a tragedy made worse by the vengeful nature of the American justice system."
Teenage influencer culture framed as inherently narcissistic and morally corrupt
[editorializing], [loaded_language]
"It is not illegal to be a self-obsessed, emotional, narcissistic teenager who cares more about her social media following than her friends. It’s not something to be celebrated. But it’s also not criminal."
The article frames the case through an emotionally charged, critical lens of the justice system, emphasizing Shirilla’s victimhood and influencer persona. It relies heavily on her personal narrative while omitting key legal facts and victim perspectives. The tone and structure align more with advocacy or commentary than neutral reporting.
In 2023, Mackenzie Shirilla was convicted of two counts of murder and other charges related to a fatal 2022 car crash in Strongsville, Ohio. She is serving a 15-to-life sentence at the Ohio Reformatory for Women. Her appeals have been denied by state courts, including the Eighth District Court of Appeals and the Ohio Supreme Court.
New York Post — Other - Crime
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