The Crash is the latest true crime documentary making waves and topping charts as people check it out with a Netflix subscription. After watching, I was ready to crown the series as one of the best true crime shows I've seen in a while, until I saw other shows and popular accounts pointing out key things the doc left out.
Whether intentional or not, The Crash leaves out a few key details that, in my opinion, make Mackenzie Shirilla appear more guilty of intentionally crashing her car, which led to the deaths of Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan. While there are some things to highlight that the doc left out, two really stick out to me that I think anyone who watches should know.
Mackenzie Allegedly Asked Her Mother To Help In A Coded Language
A huge reveal that's been featured on multiple outlets, including People, is bodycam footage of a detective interviewing Mackenzie Shirilla and her mother after the crash in the hospital. In the footage, Shirilla is caught talking to her mother in "Carny," a code language similar to pig Latin with more nuances.
The video is online for readers to make their own judgments, with some dispute about what is said. The linked video alleges she asked her mother if she could request the arresting officer just make her do community service or take her license away. Others have said Shirilla asked her mother to tell the detective she had a seizure, which might've factored into the accident.
Regardless of what was said certainly an eyebrow-raising moment that even in the hospital following the accident, Mackenzie Shirilla seemed aware of the trouble she may be in, and was aware enough to speak in code about it. This isn't Making A Murderer's Brendan Dassey confessing to a crime and wondering if he'll finally get to go home and watch WrestleMania. It seems Shirilla at least suspected she was in serious trouble, and was prodding her mom for assistance.
Mackenzie Allegedly Did A "Dry Run" Of The Route She Crashed At
The Mean Girl Murders episode "Under the Influence" gives a more in-depth profile of Mackenzie Shirilla, though largely through the perspective of her classmates. It also brings up the allegation by Cuyahoga County's assistant prosecutor that there was evidence that Shirilla completed a "dry run" of the route she later took for the crash just a few days before. It feels like a pretty significant detail to leave out of the documentary, given the title is The Crash.
Did The Crash Intentionally Leave Out Information To Make The Ending More Open-Ended?
Did The Crash intentionally leave out information to create more of a question of whether Mackenzie Shirilla was guilty or not? I've wrestled with the question and am of two minds about it. On one hand, I think it's obvious that no two tellings of a story are alike, and it's only natural that one documentary will have some details another won't, and may exclude some details to allow for time.
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On the other hand, I think back to Making A Murderer and how beloved it was. People have jumped over claims that others were responsible for the murder Steven Avery is serving time for, despite Time and others reporting there was some pretty damning evidence left out that pointed toward Avery's guilt.
Perhaps this all points to a larger conversation about true crime as a genre, and how much stock we should put into documentaries constructed with entertainment in mind above all else. For now, I'm content with informing others to look into other things concerning Mackenzie Shirilla's case, because other shows and podcasts have covered it outside of this documentary!
The Crash is available to stream on Netflix, and there are plenty of other great movies and shows coming to the platform the rest of the year. Keep that subscription active as we get into summer programming, because there's some good stuff on the way!
