Steve Shirilla’s defended his comments about his daughter’s marijuana use in an interview with TMZ, saying he couldn’t control her choices

Mackenzie Shirilla, Steve Shirilla in The Crash

Mackenzie Shirilla; Steve Shirilla.Credit : Netflix (2)

Mackenzie Shirilla’s father is addressing criticism over remarks made about his daughter in Netflix’s The Crash.

Shirilla is currently serving two concurrent 15-years-to-life prison sentences after being convicted in August 2023 on multiple charges, including murder and aggravated vehicular homicide, for crashing her sedan into a brick wall at nearly 100 mph in Strongsville, Ohio in July 2022.

The crash claimed the lives of her boyfriend, 20-year-old Dominic Russo, and the couple’s friend, 19-year-old Davion Flanagan. Prosecutors said that Shirilla intentionally caused the crash after her relationship with Russo had reportedly become strained.

The case has drawn renewed attention following the Friday, May 15 release of the Netflix documentary, which includes interviews with both Shirilla’s family and the victims’ loved ones.

In The Crash, Mackenzie’s father, Steve Shirilla, discussed his daughter’s cannabis use while maintaining 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.”

Steve later clarified those remarks in an interview with TMZ published Tuesday, May 19, saying he was not promoting marijuana use but instead explaining that he could not control his daughter’s choices.

“I wasn’t in support of marijuana or wasn’t saying I’m smoking marijuana,” he shared. “What I was saying is that who am I to say who can smoke and who can’t smoke? Now, I never allowed my daughter to smoke marijuana.”

He added, “How was I stopping her? You know, she was..I couldn’t lock her up in her room. I’m not quite sure why there’s a problem with what I said. It was never, ‘Hey, everybody go smoke marijuana.’”

In the documentary, Assistant Prosecutor Tim Troup said Shirilla had traces of THC in her system at the time of the crash, though investigators determined it did not contribute to it. In court, he also pointed to videos taken by Shirilla that showed her engaging in distracted or reckless driving, including clips of her driving while smoking what appeared to be marijuana.

Referencing those videos, Steve told TMZ he did not know his daughter smoked in the car until those clips were shown in court.

“All I can do is teach her ‘don’t do this,’” he said. “‘You’re going to get in trouble’ or ‘this is going to happen’ or something. You know, that’s all I can do. I’m a dad.”

During the trial, prosecutors argued that vehicle data showed Mackenzie never hit the brakes in the roughly five seconds before impact and that the car showed no signs of mechanical failure. Steve, however, said he does not believe that piece of evidence proves his daughter intentionally caused the crash.

Mackenzie Shirilla, Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan
Mackenzie Shirilla, Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan.Netflix (3)

“This prosecutor is, in my opinion, is lazy,” Steve told TMZ. It’s like the wife dies and they instantly think it’s the husband. So, there’s so much in this case and there’s so much omittance of evidence and changing of evidence.”

Steve’s interview comes shortly after reports that he was placed on administrative leave from his teaching job at Mary Queen of Peace School in Cleveland, according to 19 News and WKYC, following backlash over his appearance in the documentary.

He told TMZ that he has only been informed that school officials are conducting an internal investigation following complaints from concerned parents.

In the documentary, Steve and his wife, Natalie, also defended their daughter against allegations from former classmates who accused her of bullying peers in school.

Steve additionally faced criticism online over a shirt he wore in the documentary bearing the word “BOOM,” which some viewers viewed as insensitive given the fatal crash.

“We want every parent and family to know that the safety, wellbeing, and trust of our students remain among our highest priorities,” an email from the school said, adding, “We take all student concerns seriously and are committed to responding promptly and responsibly whenever concerns are brought forward,” 19 News reported.