Beyond the Crash

Summary

That's So Criminal – "Beyond the Crash"

Podcast: That's So Criminal
Host: Lynden Blake (The Daily Wire)
Guest: Christine Russo
Date: June 12, 2026
Summary Prepared By: Podcast Summarizer

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Episode Overview

This episode of That's So Criminal explores the aftermath of the tragic car crash in Strongsville, Ohio, that took the lives of Dom Russo and Davion Flanagan. Investigative reporter Lynden Blake interviews Christine Russo—Dom's sister—about her family's grief, the realities behind the viral Netflix documentary The Crash, the challenges of public attention, and her efforts to honor Dom's legacy while advocating for change through new legislation. The episode humanizes the story beyond headlines and courtroom drama, focusing on the pain and resilience of victims’ families.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Case and Its National Spotlight

• Crash Recap:
  • The July 2022 car crash involved three teens; only 17-year-old driver Mackenzie Schirrilla survived ([02:52]).
  • Investigators concluded the crash was intentional after reviewing evidence (vehicle data, social media, texts).
  • Schirrilla was convicted of murder and serves two concurrent sentences of 15 years to life.
• Public Attention:
  • The case gained widespread attention via a Netflix documentary, thrusting Dom’s family into the public eye.

Living with Loss

• Ongoing Grief:

  • Christine Russo openly shares her family’s ongoing pain:
    • “I'm not good. None of us are good at all.” – Christine Russo ([06:20])
  • They honor Dom by visiting his grave, making memorial items, and keeping his memory alive through family traditions.

• Grieving in Public:

  • The Russo family’s grief is compounded by scrutiny and misinformation online.
  • Christine launched her podcast The Big Sister Unhinged to set the record straight and give the family a voice ([06:48]).
  • She started a foundation to channel her grief into activism.

Participating in the Netflix Documentary

• Reluctance and Motivation:

  • The documentary team contacted the family years before production ([07:34]).
  • Christine initially rejected involvement but later felt compelled to guarantee Dom’s story was authentically represented:
    • "I like to talk about him sometimes, you know, on my time, when I feel like it. Having everybody else talk about him...was not something that I wanted to do. I felt like it was something that I had to do." ([07:34])

• Difficult Experience:

  • Christine has not watched the final cut, finding it too traumatic:
    • “I just can't watch it. I've tried a few times, I should, but I cannot get myself to watch.” ([08:39])
    • She remembers only "the last 10 seconds" and feeling distressed for a long time ([09:36]).

Who Dom Russo Was

• Family and Character:

  • Dom was the beloved “baby” of a large Italian family:
    • “When Dom was born, he was like all of our babies.” ([10:00])
  • He was described as caring, loyal, a great friend and uncle—a role deeply missed by many:
    • “He was such a good uncle…That's one of the hardest things, is how he was with my children.” ([18:14])

• Dreams and Memories:

  • Christine and her sister frequently dream about Dom:
    • "He's always telling me that it's okay." ([10:48])
    • “My sister has the same exact dreams too...he’s just laughing, saying, it’s… that’s so criminal.” ([11:21])
  • The family treasures every keepsake—cards, messages, anything Dom touched ([12:02]).

Interactions with the Convicted Driver's Family

• No Contact:

  • Christine says Mackenzie Schirrilla’s family never reached out:
    • "No. There's been...I don't watch anything about them or her. I don't watch reels. I don't nothing." ([12:59])

• Public Statements:

  • Hearing Schirrilla's family discuss Dom and the Russos is "despicable," and it hinders the family's healing ([12:59]).

Advocacy: "Dom’s Law" and Son of Sam Laws

• Purpose:

  • Christine leads a push to update Ohio's Son of Sam law to prevent perpetrators from profiting via social media, donations, or influencer fame:
    • "You're not going to profit off of killing my brother or Davion." ([14:10])
    • Recognizes First Amendment boundaries but seeks modern loopholes to restrict financial gain from the crime.

• Legislative Progress:

  • House Bill 505 addresses these issues; Christine is actively involved in shaping and pushing it through the Ohio legislature ([15:03]).

Coping, Healing, and What’s Missing from the Narrative

• Processing and Protection:

  • Christine avoids social media content about the case and anything from the other family to protect her peace ([12:20], [16:24]).
  • Acknowledges there’s “no textbook” for processing such loss ([16:24]):
    • "No one will ever be the same. So in one way, it's like, we don't want it the same...because he's not here, so it won't be fine. So that's okay." ([17:22])

• Harm of Public Exploitation:

  • She expresses frustration with online creators and trolls exploiting Dom and Davion’s deaths:
    • "I'm waiting for this all to die down." ([17:31])

• What Was Missing:

  • The documentary, while impactful, failed to show who Dom was to his entire family and community ("it showed who he was in her life, but he didn't show who he was in everybody else's life" [18:28]).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "We honor him in every single way possible… Started recently the podcast The Big Sister Unhinged to help keep his memory and, you know, in a respectful way, battle misinformation..." – Christine Russo ([06:48])
• "I have not seen the final movie... I haven't seen the final version for like specifics. I just can't watch it." – Christine Russo ([08:39])
• "He was such a good uncle that really. That's one of the hardest things, is how he was with my children." – Christine Russo ([18:14])
• "No. There's been...I don't watch anything about them or her...hearing how they talk about us and my brother, it is despicable." – Christine Russo ([12:59])
• "We're not...We can't infringe on the First Amendment, but we're gonna try to find loopholes and cover and modernize the Son of Sam's law to include social media platforms, donation sites." – Christine Russo ([14:10])

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Important Timestamps

• [02:07] – Introduction of Christine Russo and the case summary.
• [06:14] – Christine reflects on her current emotional state and the family's grieving process.
• [07:34] – Christine discusses participating in the Netflix documentary.
• [09:36] – Christine explains why she hasn’t been able to watch the documentary.
• [10:00-10:44] – Christine shares vivid memories and stories about who Dom was to the family.
• [12:59] – Christine addresses how the Schirrilla family has discussed Dom.
• [14:10] – Explanation of "Dom’s Law" and attempts to modernize Son of Sam laws.
• [15:03] – Legislative process update: House Bill 505 and next steps.
• [16:24] – Coping and seeking peace amid ongoing public attention.
• [17:31] – Christine wishes for an end to online exploitation and a chance for her family to grieve privately.
• [18:14-18:28] – Discussion of Dom’s role as an uncle, and what the documentary missed about his life.

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Final Thoughts

Christine Russo’s interview on That's So Criminal is a candid, heartfelt testament to the enduring pain of loss and the struggle to regain dignity amid public spectacle. Her advocacy for legislative change, her efforts to preserve Dom’s memory, and her honest reflections highlight the human cost behind crime stories so often reduced to sensational headlines. The episode serves as both a memorial and a call to honor victims as whole people, not just names in a documentary.

Transcript

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[Christine Russo]

That's so criminal.

[Interviewer (Lyndon Blake)]

Today we're joined by Christine Russo, sister of Dom Russo, whose story has recently reached a wider audience through Netflix's documentary the Crash Surrounding the tragic case that took her brother's life. In this conversation, Christine opens up about the reality of living with unimaginable loss. Why she ultimately chose to participate in the documentary, how her family keeps Dom's memory alive and her ongoing efforts to fight misinformation and advocate for changes to Ohio. Son of Sam Walls. Most importantly, she shares who Dom was beyond the headlines. A beloved son, brother, uncle and friend whose impact continues to be felt every day.

[Christine Russo]

That's so criminal.

[Interviewer (Lyndon Blake)]

This is a difficult but deeply important conversation. Everyone is talking about the crash. This is a Netflix documentary that explores the tragic story of a fatal car wreck that killed two young men and left the driver, a 17 year old girl, as a sole survivor. At first you may be wondering why there's a documentary about a car crash. But as investigators began uncovering evidence in this particular crash, a different picture was painted. One that raised questions about whether this wreck was intentional. If you haven't seen it, here's a quick recap of why this story has become one of the most talked about true crime cases across the country. The crash happened early on a Sunday morning back in July of 2022 in Strongsville, Ohio. The streets were empty when a Toyota Camry sped down a dead end road. The car accelerated to more than 100 miles per hour, never slowing down as it slammed into a brick building. Inside the car were three young people. 19 year old Davion Flanagan, he was in the backseat. Then there was 20 year old Dom Russo in the passenger seat and 17 year old Mackenzie Schirrilla behind the wheel. She was the only one who survived. I've covered stories like this before, especially when I worked in local television in small markets. You covered fatal crashes pretty often. This seemed like one of those instances. But as investigators examined the vehicle data, social media activity and the text messages, they began to believe this crash wasn't simply a tragic accident. Dom Russo was Mackenzie Shurilla's boyfriend. He's dead. Davion Flanagan, he's dead. And Mackenzie. While recovering from her injuries, she was posting tiktoks, attending concerts and appeared to just move on with her life. Even then, people like Christine Russo gave her the benefit of the doubt. But as more evidence emerged, the case took a dramatic turn. In November of 2022, Mackenzie Shurilla was arrested and charged with murder. Her defense team argued the crash was caused by a medical emergency and it wasn't intentional. However, the court disagreed. She was found guilty on all counts. Today in Ohio, Sharilla is serving two concurrent sentences of 15 years to life in prison. She continues to maintain her innocence and her family continues to stand by her. So now we're Gonna shift the focus away from the convicted killer and back to the victim of this tragedy. Because beyond the headlines, the court filings and documentaries were two young men whose lives were taken and families who are still living with that loss every single day. Here's my conversation with Christine Russo, Dom's big sister.

[Christine Russo]

That's so criminal,

[Interviewer (Lyndon Blake)]

what you guys have been through. It's unimaginable. How are you doing right now?

[Christine Russo]

I'm not good. None of us are good at all.

[Interviewer (Lyndon Blake)]

As an older sister, it's hard to imagine the anger you would feel towards the person that did this and everyone seeing it now because of Netflix. But just kind of tell me how you have put one foot in front of the other every day, and you and your family have tried to grieve and also honor Dom's legacy.

[Christine Russo]

We honor him in every single way possible. We spend holidays at the cemetery making things of him all the time. Making things for him, purchasing things for his grave. Started recently the podcast the Big Sister Unhinged to help keep his memory and, you know, in a respectful way, battle misinformation, but also give a platform for my family to speak. I stay busy. I started a foundation. We're doing the petition to the Modernize the Son of Sam's Law. So I just have kept going.

[Interviewer (Lyndon Blake)]

When did Netflix approach your family, and what were your initial thoughts on doing the show? And did you want to bring White back to this? The worst time of your life?

[Christine Russo]

It would have been a couple of years ago. We started getting, like. I don't know, I think it was letters in the mail or something. And initially we wanted nothing to do with it for the longest time, up until it was, like, too late to change my mind, basically. Like, I was like, wait, I do want to do this, because I just envisioned there being a Netflix movie coming out about my brother and then none of us speaking in it. I like to talk about him sometimes, you know, on my. My time, when I feel like it. Having everybody else talk about him, on the other hand, has not been. There's a lot of bad things on the Internet, you know, a lot of support, but a lot of bad things, too. It was not something that I wanted to do. I felt like it was something that I had to do.

[Interviewer (Lyndon Blake)]

I think you and your dad, I mean, you guys did such a good job about being so genuine and authentic, and it really stood out in the show. Was there something that you feel like from the crash was left out of your brother's story, that you've been using your podcast and your Social media platforms to kind of get out there to the world.

[Christine Russo]

I have not seen the final movie, so as much as I would like to, there's a lot of things. No, his whole story was not jam packed in 2 hours 50 minutes. It's impossible. There is so much more that I know is not in the movie, but I haven't seen the final version for like specifics. I just can't watch it. I've tried a few times, I should, but I've tried and I cannot get myself to watch. Was super, super hard to film as soon as we got there. I think I start crying before we even the cameras turn on. It's just, it happens sometimes, especially doing it with my dad. It made that just that much harder. You gotta be vulnerable, things like that. And it just was a really tough situation that I just like blocked out, moved on and I have not watched the movie.

[Interviewer (Lyndon Blake)]

Wow. How far did you get into it? Because it gets crazy pretty fast.

[Christine Russo]

Couple minutes. I just remember I got to see before it was put out. The piece that I remember that stuck out is. I just remember the end, the last 10 seconds and I was really upset for like a really long time.

[Interviewer (Lyndon Blake)]

We saw snippets of him on screen. But who was Dom? I know he was your little brother. Describe your relationship.

[Christine Russo]

When he was born, he was like the family's baby. I have a huge family. We're Italian, 50 first cousins. And our house was like the fun house. So we had all the cousins sleepover. And then when Dom was born, he was like all of our babies. Just from a small age, he was the cutest little kid, cutest little voice. He's really, really missed by a whole lot of people. Not just our family, his friends. Very loyal, caring, really, really good uncle, Loving good with the kids, always involved. This has really taken a toll on a lot of people. Really, really in the worst way possible. So he's really missed and really loved.

[Interviewer (Lyndon Blake)]

I mean, do you dream about him all the time? Really?

[Christine Russo]

Yeah. I think the first dream I had of him we were at a wedding and I remember he was crying and really upset that he couldn't get married. I drove up to this wedding and he was there. And like one of my things that make me like super sad is that he has a really wonderful, beautiful friend group that were his best friends, like family and thinking like one day he won't be at their wedding, you know. But I just remember like I dream of him very, very often. And then I'm always sobbing and he's always telling me that it's okay.

[Interviewer (Lyndon Blake)]

Wow.

[Christine Russo]

Yeah. My sister has the same exact dreams, too. It's like we're sobbing uncontrollably, and he's just laughing, saying, it's. That's so criminal.

[Interviewer (Lyndon Blake)]

Coming up, Christine explains why she still hasn't been able to watch. The Netflix documentary reveals how her family has handled the public attention surrounding this case. And she shares her reaction to hearing how her brother is discussed by those connected to his killer. Stay with us. That's so tough. And I'm sure you hold on to every text message and voicemail. I would. That you can.

[Christine Russo]

Every piece of anything he's ever touched. Yes. Birthday cards. Yeah.

[Interviewer (Lyndon Blake)]

And since you haven't watched the documentary, I'm assuming you haven't gone through public records or anything like that that came out during the investigation, or was that something that your family was kind of a part of?

[Christine Russo]

I was not. No. I wanted nothing to do with that. Nope.

[Interviewer (Lyndon Blake)]

Yeah. And before her arrest, did she try to reach out to you?

[Christine Russo]

I myself thought that it was an accident at first, because I just. My brain couldn't wrap around that somebody would intentionally murder my brother. Just doesn't seem like reality. It's super crazy, actually.

[Interviewer (Lyndon Blake)]

How do you process what the Sharrilla family has tried to do with it? And even before Netflix got involved, I mean, did they try to reach out to you or your family?

[Christine Russo]

No. There's been looking now, like, because I don't watch anything about them or her. I don't watch reels. I don't nothing. I don't want to see any of it. People will send me certain things like, hey, you need to see this. Like my close relatives, you know, and I'll peek and hear. But some of these calls listening now, how they choose to speak about my family and my brother is. It's despicable. I don't think there's any processing at all. I think our family is very much struggling to even begin to process anything. And then with the movie, it's just opening up sore wounds. But hearing how they talk about us and my brother, it is despicable.

[Interviewer (Lyndon Blake)]

And that's when the petition that you've started comes into play. Dom's Law. You're trying to modernize that law in Ohio where victims are put before influencers. And I'm a sports person, so to my head, and you can correct me if I'm wrong, this, to me, is like you basically saying, hey, you're not going to use your name, image, and likeness to profit off my family's tragedy from behind Bars.

[Christine Russo]

We're going to prevent her from using her name now because now it's renown from profiting off of her murder, basically. Like, yeah, she can speak about whenever she'd like, but you're not going to profit off of killing my brother or Davion. So it's, you know, we're not. We can't infringe on the First Amendment, but we're gonna try to find loopholes and cover and modernize the Son of Sam's law to include social media platforms, donation sites. I hope that one day she won't be able to use her name to become like a social media influencer, like Mackenzie Scherla, the, you know, Dom, and include them in any way and try to get funds or funded or donations and things like that.

[Interviewer (Lyndon Blake)]

So where does the law stand right now and how did you get the process started?

[Christine Russo]

I woke up a month ago and I was like, she's gonna try to. She already has, you know, crowdfunded, and she's gonna try to use her name now to, when she gets out, become Instagram famous like she's always wanted. She's getting stuff sent to her in prison, things like that. And I woke up one day and I was like, I have to find a way to stop this. So I was like, let's modernize the Son of Sam's. Well, I didn't know at the time, but there's the HB 505. I believe the House has already passed it, and it's basically exactly what we want. We're just going to look at the specifics now and see if we can make any amendments to it right now. I just met with the House this week, and we're going to be in touch with the Senate and then we're going to testify in front of the Senate and things like that and hopefully get this bill passed.

[Interviewer (Lyndon Blake)]

After the break, Christine reflects on the challenge of finding peace after tragedy. The lasting impact Dahm's loss has had on her family, and what she wishes people understood about the victim behind the headlines. How do you protect your peace but also, you know, continue to try to live the best life you can to honor your brother?

[Christine Russo]

I don't know. So this is all new to me. And when something like this happens, like every day, it could be a struggle. You know, there's certain things that trigger things or that I just try to stay away from. I know it'll make me sad sometimes, like talking to you. I've done three interviews maybe already today, and I haven't gotten sad. At all. But for some reason, I just feel like myself choking up in the back of my head, and it just. It's been hard to. There's no, like, textbook on how to process losing a brother or somebody so close, you know, I mean, such a big part of our family losing our. You know, my dad especially. It feels like everybody's changed. No one will ever be the same. So in one way, it's like, we don't want it the same or we don't want it to. To be fine because it's not fine. He's not here, so it won't be fine. So that's okay because he's not here.

[Interviewer (Lyndon Blake)]

So was there anything else you want to share about him or want people to know from this tragedy?

[Christine Russo]

I'm waiting for the spotlight on him to die down so we can begin to process, like, the creators out there and things and the people online that are using my brother's death and Davion's death for, like, content creation and. And the lies and the slander and, like, the negative. Like, yeah, it's great to talk about them in a positive light and in reality, but these Internet trolls and people trying to get attention online, like, I really wish that it would stop. I'm. I'm waiting for this all to die down.

[Interviewer (Lyndon Blake)]

Like, my baby brother turns 23 this year, and he. Like you said, like, they're born and that's like, your baby. Like, that your baby.

[Christine Russo]

Change your diapers, teach him how to walk.

[Interviewer (Lyndon Blake)]

The amount of time, I'm sure you got mistaken as his mom.

[Christine Russo]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then when I had kids, I don't like, that was. He was such a good uncle that really. That's one of the hardest things, is how he was with my children. You know, that just. It's terrible.

[Interviewer (Lyndon Blake)]

That's one thing the documentary doesn't show. Doesn't show. It showed who he was in her life, but he didn't show who he was in everybody else's life. And I think that is important for anybody that is a victim of murder. This wasn't just in that moment, in that orbit, like, there's so many more aspects of somebody that's so criminal. A big thank you to Christine Russo for sharing her story and more importantly, for helping us remember Dom as more than just a headline or a documentary subject. Throughout this conversation, one thing became clear. Clear. The people left behind carry these losses every day. Christine's commitment to preserving her brother's memory, supporting her family, and advocating for meaningful change is a testament to the love they continue to have for Dom. If you'd like to support the effort to Pass DOM and Davion's Law, you can find that petition on change.org More than 160,000 people have already signed on in support. And if you'd like to follow Christine's continued work to honor her brother's memory, she you can check out her YouTube channel, the Big Sister Unhinged. I'm Lyndon Blake, and you've been listening to that's so Criminal.

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