Exclusive | Mackenzie Shirilla’s pal reveals twisted truth about ‘Hell on Wheels’ killer’s parents: ‘They didn’t really care about her’

Nypost · Jun 03, 2026 · 817 words · By Georgia Worrell

Character Assassination Parental Negligence criminal justice

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What to know about Character Assassination

US News exclusive Mackenzie Shirilla’s pal reveals twisted truth about ‘Hell on Wheels’ killer’s parents: ‘They didn’t really care about her’ See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 6

Techniques found 3

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center67%

Right33%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on GoogleCLEVELAND — “Hell on Wheels” killer Mackenzie Shirilla’s’s parents were always more concerned with winning their daughter’s approval than raising her right, a former friend told The Post.

Common ground

“From what I see, they didn’t really care about her.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling, Causal Oversimplification: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Character Assassination story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Mackenzie Shirilla intentionally plowed her car into a brick wall in July 2022, killing her ex-boyfriend Dominic Russo and friend Davion Flanagan?
How does this story connect Character Assassination with Parental Negligence over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/06/03/us-news/mackenzie-shirillas-pal-reveals-devastatin…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

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Name Calling / Labeling 80% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Causal Oversimplification 70% confidence

Assuming a single cause for a complex issue.

Why it matters: Recognizing causal oversimplification helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 6 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 3

verified Verified By Reference 2

check_circle Corroborated 1

verified

Claim 1: “Mackenzie Shirilla intentionally plowed her car into a brick wall in July 2022, killing her ex-boyfriend Dominic Russo and friend Davion Flanagan.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and multiple web search results explicitly confirm that Mackenzie Shirilla intentionally crashed her car into a brick wall on July 31, 2022, killing Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Ohio Reformatory for Women (ORW) is a state prison for women owned and operated by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction in Marysville, Ohio. It opened in September 1916, when 34 fe…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohio_Reformatory_for_Women

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The murder of Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan occurred on July 31, 2022, at approximately 5:30 a.m, when Mackenzie Shirilla intentionally crashed her vehicle into a brick wall in Strongsville, Ohio,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Dominic_Russo_and_Da…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The murder of Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan occurred on July 31, 2022, at approximately 5:30 a.m, when Mackenzie Shirilla intentionally crashed her ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Dominic_Russo_and_Da…

+ 2 more evidence sources

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Claim 2: “Mackenzie, now 21, is serving two concurrent 15-years-to-life sentences in an Ohio women’s prison after being convicted in 2023 of murdering Russo and Flanagan.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including Wikipedia and news reports, confirm she was convicted in 2023 and sentenced to two concurrent 15-years-to-life sentences. One source explicitly mentions her current age as 21.

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web search NEUTRAL — Shirilla was convicted of 12 felony charges and sentenced to two concurrent life sentences, with the possibility of parole after 15 years. As of 2026 , she was ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Dominic_Russo_and_Da…

+ 2 more evidence sources

info

Claim 3: “The questionable comment got Steve suspended from his teaching job at a pre-K-to-8 school outside Cleveland, where administrators said they were investigating allegations of his “poor judgment” last month.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The web search results for 'Steve' returned information about a 2025 film and Steve Jobs, but no information regarding a teacher named Steve Shirilla being suspended from a school outside Cleveland.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Steve had its world premiere in the Platform Prize section of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, and was released in select cinemas in the United Kingdom and the United States on 19 Septemb…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_(2025_film)

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — A pioneer of the personal computer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s, Jobs co-founded Apple Inc. with his early business partner Steve Wozniak as Apple Computer Company in 1976.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Jobs

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — At its core stands the character of Steve, the head teacher, as he faces a long, emotionally charged day filled with professional and psychological challenges within a tense and complex environment.
https://m.imdb.com/title/tt32985279/

info

Claim 4: “a new popular Netflix documentary, “The Crash.””

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim is supported by cross-references from Nypost, but no other independent news organizations or the provided Wikipedia entries confirm the existence of a Netflix documentary titled 'The Crash'.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Beverly Carol Vance Aikins (born 1961) is an American registered nurse who is the mother of the 50th vice president of the United States, JD Vance. Vance was born in 1961 and was married and divorced …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverly_Vance

+ 2 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “She is appealing her conviction for a second time.”

SINGLE SOURCE

All five cross-references provided are from the same organization (Nypost), meaning there is only one independent source reporting this specific detail.

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cross reference SUPPORTS — She’s appealing her conviction a second time.
https://nypost.com/2026/05/26/us-news/boyfriend-of-hell-on-w…

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cross reference SUPPORTS — She is appealing her conviction for a second time.
https://nypost.com/2026/05/29/us-news/mackenzie-shirilla-whi…

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cross reference SUPPORTS — she is now appealing her conviction for a second time.
https://nypost.com/2026/05/29/us-news/mackenzie-shirilla-and…

+ 2 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 6: “Natalie referred to Flanagan as “a new friend” while pleading with the judge for leniency.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

While evidence confirms the identities of the victims and the presence of Natalie Shirilla at sentencing, none of the provided evidence contains the specific quote referring to Davion Flanagan as 'a new friend'.

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travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 25, 2026 ... ... in 2022, killing her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, and friend, Davion Flanagan. During sentencing, emotional victim impact statements were read ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0ucA_iJ4hw

+ 1 more evidence source

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.