The father of Mackenzie Shirilla has been placed on administrative leave following the release of the Netflix documentary The Crash last week.
19 News and WKYC reported that Steve Shirilla was removed from his position as an art and digital media teacher at Mary Queen of Peace School in Cleveland. The removal followed comments he made about his daughter in the film.
The school, which includes grades Pre-K to eighth, according to its website, emailed parents to let them know that a teacher had been placed on administrative leave following allegations of “poor judgment,” 19 News reported.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(731x306:733x308):format(webp)/mary-queen-of-peace-school-cleveland-051926-777e012c949d47d1a8728b348bc0218b.jpg)
Mary Queen of Peace School.Google Maps
“We want every parent and family to know that the safety, wellbeing, and trust of our students remain among our highest priorities,” the email stated, adding, “We take all student concerns seriously and are committed to responding promptly and responsibly whenever concerns are brought forward.”
PEOPLE reached out to Mary Queen of Peace School for comment, but they did not immediately respond.
Our new app is here! Free, fun and full of exclusives. Scan to download now!
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/People_Onsite_ATF_Overlay_DesktopVersion_070125_qr_code11-6a9808bc1dfa4c2a9603155d7a5343d3.png)
On July 31, 2022, Mackenzie, who was 17 at the time, drove her car into a brick wall in Strongsville, Ohio, at almost 100 miles an hour. Her boyfriend, 20-year-old Dominic Russo, and their friend, 19-year-old Davion Flanagan, both died.
Though initially believed to be an accident, investigators began to suspect that Mackenzie deliberately accelerated. She was arrested in November 2022 and charged with two counts each of murder and aggravated vehicular assault, as well as a number of other counts.
In August 2023, she was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 15 years, ultimately receiving two life terms to be served concurrently. Her legal team then filed two appeals, one in September 2023 and one in April 2025, but both were denied.
Related Stories
Mackenzie Shirilla’s Boyfriend Asked for Help After She Allegedly Threatened His Life. Then, He Died in a Car Crash with Her at the Wheel
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/mackenzie-shirilla-the-crash-051226-049cae5508a14b899501ae8e2c3b978a.jpg)
Mackenzie Shirilla Killed Her Boyfriend and Friend in 100 mph Car Crash. Did Her TikTok Videos Influence Her 15 to Life Sentence?
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/Mackenzie-Shirilla-Dominic-Russo-Davion-Flanagan-051526-38eab80017bd45a3b8a6d89aa23789e1.jpg)
Speaking in The Crash, which was released on Friday, May 15, Steve discussed Mackenzie’s use of cannabis and defended her innocence.
“I don’t have a problem with her smoking dope,” he said. “If you’re going to smoke a drug, that’s the one I believe you should take.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(503x210:505x212):format(webp)/steve-shirilla-051926-3d0b5ebe42094e4bb5d25120d1428944.jpg)
Steve Shirilla in ‘The Crash’.NETFLIX
Also in the documentary, he and his wife, Natalie Shirilla, defended their daughter over accusations from other students that she bullied peers, allegedly telling one classmate to end their life. The documentary additionally cited school records showing that Mackenzie had been disciplined for bullying.
Steve was also criticized for his choice of apparel for his documentary appearance. For filming, he wore a shirt with “BOOM” written on it, which some viewers described as insensitive given the crash.
Steve confirmed to 19 News that the school placed him on leave amid an investigation. He added that he was upset with the editing of the documentary, but reiterated that he believes his daughter is innocent.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
A parent told the outlet that the students liked and respected Steve as a teacher and defended the school from criticism, explaining that nobody could have known what was going to happen.
“No amount of background checks on Mr. Shirilla will show something that his daughter will do two years after he is hired,” they said. “As a parent of a student who attends there, it is not fair for our school, staff, children or families to receive hate and threats because of third-hand actions… There is no reason to be threatening an elementary school.”
News
The most chilling part of Steve Shirilla’s interviews is that he never sounds hateful or cruel.
The father of Mackenzie Shirilla has been placed on administrative leave following the release of the Netflix documentary The Crash last week. 19 News and WKYC reported that Steve Shirilla was removed from his position as an art and digital media teacher at Mary Queen of Peace School in Cleveland. The removal followed comments he made about his daughter in the film. The school, which includes […]
“Viewers thought it was another slow-burn crime drama… until the final episodes left people genuinely disturbed.”
arning: This post contains spoilers for The Beast in Me. Five years after the finale of Homeland, Claire Danes has reunited with one of the creators of the Emmy-winning series for a new cat-and-mouse thriller where her character must once again contend with some pretty intense inner demons. Netflix’s The Beast in Me, all eight episodes of which are now […]
💥“Fans thought Outlander was finally over… then the post-credit scene appeared — and suddenly everyone was crying.” 😭⏳
Outlander‘s eighth and final season has officially concluded, but is it really the end for Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan), the couple at the center of this TV adaptation of Diana Gabaldon‘s novels? Warning: Spoilers for the Outlander Series Finale ahead! The show’s closing episode, “And the World Was All Around Us,” saw Jamie and Claire gasp themselves awake, […]
“People thought Netflix’s new octopus movie would be a cute comfort watch…
Sally Field is opening up about bringing one remarkable story to life. In an interview with PEOPLE for this week’s cover story, the actress, 79, spoke about how she helped to bring Shelby Van Pelt’s bestselling novel, Remarkably Bright Creatures, to the screen. Field stars as Tova, an elderly widow who forms an unlikely friendship with an octopus […]
“They were found huddled together in the darkest chamber… but the dive instructor’s body was discovered 40 meters closer to the exit.” 😱 Why didn’t he reach them? What really happened in Shark Cave?
The bodies of four remaining Italian divers were found Monday in the Maldives, four days after they went missing while exploring an underwater cave. An elite team of three expert divers from Finland located the bodies of Monica Montefalcone, 52, her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, 20, Muriel Oddenino, 31, and Federico Gualtieri, 31, Italy’s foreign ministry said. The […]
💔 “Four children walked into that tragedy with two parents… and walked out emotionally orphaned.”
Betty Broderick, convicted in 1989 killings of ex-husband and his new wife, dies aged 78 Broderick was serving a life sentence in California over killings and last month transferred to a medical center Marina Dunbar Sat 9 May 2026 23.07 BST Share Prefer the Guardian on Google Betty Broderick, who became infamous for the 1989 […]
End of content
No more pages to load
