‘Hell on Wheels’ killer Mackenzie Shirilla’s dad suspended from teacher job over Netflix doc comments

Nypost · May 19, 2026 · 779 words · By Georgia Worrell

Professional Consequences criminal justice Parental Accountability

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What to know about Professional Consequences

‘Hell on Wheels’ killer Mackenzie Shirilla’s dad suspended from teacher job over Netflix doc comments See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 8

Techniques found 2

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

‘Hell on Wheels’ killer Mackenzie Shirilla’s dad suspended from teacher job over Netflix doc comments See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on GoogleSpeeding “Hell on Wheels” killer Mackenzie Shirilla’s father was suspended from his teaching job after adamantly defending his daughter in a new Netflix documentary, according to reports.

Common ground

Steve Shirilla was removed from his position as an art and digital media teacher at Mary Queen of Peace School on Monday amidst allegations of “poor judgement,” Cleveland 19 News reported, citing an email sent to parents.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling: 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 Professional Consequences story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that the school, which serves grades Pre-K through 8?
How does this story connect Professional Consequences with criminal justice over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/19/us-news/hell-on-wheels-killer-mackenzie-shirillas-…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 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.

warning

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.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 8 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 4

info Single Source 2

verified Verified By Reference 2

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Claim 1: “the school, which serves grades Pre-K through 8”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim discusses other schools (Sunset Elementary, Cape Cod Montessori) but does not contain any information regarding the grade levels served by Mary Queen of Peace School.

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web search NEUTRAL — Sunset Elementary School is a public institution under the Miami-Dade County School District serving students from PreK through 5th grade, just a 6-minute drive from Journey's End.
https://www.allinmiami.com/blog/best-schools-near-journeys-e…

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web search NEUTRAL — Cape Cod Montessori School serves students from toddler through elementary levels and is conveniently located just 5 miles from Orleans.
https://www.bestprivateschoolsnear.me/massachusetts/orleans/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — GreatSchools ratings & reviews for 15,135 schools in New York.The students from low-income families designation is based on the percentage of students at this school who are eligible for free or reduc…
https://www.greatschools.org/new-york/

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Claim 2: “She is now appealing her conviction for a second time.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm she is appealing her conviction, with one source specifically stating she 'just lost her second appeal this week'.

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web search NEUTRAL — Mackenzie Shirilla was raised by her parents, Natalie and Steve Shirilla, in Strongsville, Ohio. At the time of the crash, Shirilla was a 17-year-old recent graduate of Strongsville High School.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Dominic_Russo_and_Da…

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web search NEUTRAL — COLUMBUS (WJW) – The FOX 8 I-Team has found Mackenzie Shirilla just lost her second appeal this week tied to her murder conviction for a deadly car crash investigators said she caused on purpose, kill…
https://www.yahoo.com/news/another-appeal-denied-driver-kill…

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web search NEUTRAL — Mackenzie Shirilla will continue serving two life sentences after losing her bid to appeal her murder conviction after crashing her car.At the time of her 2023 conviction, the judge described the inci…
https://www.unilad.com/news/us-news/mackenzie-shirilla-new-t…

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Claim 3: “a new Netflix documentary, “The Crash,” that has climbed to No. 1 on the streaming platform’s most popular movie list since it was released on Friday.”

CORROBORATED

While the general Netflix search results are generic, specific news-style web results for the other claims explicitly mention the debut of a Netflix documentary titled 'The Crash' on May 18, 2026, and its impact on Steve Shirilla.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — What is Netflix? Netflix is a streaming service that offers a wide variety of award-winning TV shows, movies, anime, documentaries, and more on thousands of internet-connected devices.
https://www.netflix.com/

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web search NEUTRAL — Netflix is the leading subscription service for watching TV episodes and movies.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.netflix.me…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Download Netflix by Netflix, Inc. on the App Store. See screenshots, ratings and reviews, user tips, and more apps like Netflix.
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/netflix/id363590051

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Claim 4: “The judge ordered Mackenzie remain behind bars for two concurrent sentences of 15 years to life.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm she was given two concurrent life sentences (or 15 years to life) for the crash.

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web search NEUTRAL — Mackenzie is a design firm that specializes in architecture, interiors, engineering, and planning. Locations in Portland, OR, Seattle and Vancouver, WA.
https://mackenzie.inc/

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web search NEUTRAL — 7 hours ago · Where is Mackenzie Shirilla now — and what does she think really happened during The Crash? Netflix’s latest true crime documentary revisits a devastating car crash that left two teenage…
https://ew.com/where-is-mackenzie-shirilla-now-the-crash-119…

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web search NEUTRAL — 9 hours ago · MacKenzie Shirilla, a Cuyahoga County woman whose murder trial is the focus of a new Netflix documentary, remains in an Ohio prison while she attempts to have her conviction overturned.
https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/courts/2026/05/19/macken…

verified

Claim 5: “Mackenzie intentionally crashing her car and killing her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, and friend Davion Flanagan in July 2022”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and multiple other sources explicitly confirm that Mackenzie Shirilla intentionally crashed her vehicle in July 2022, killing Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — On July 31, 2022, Mackenzie Shirilla intentionally crashed her vehicle into a brick wall in Strongsville, Ohio, killing her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, and his friend, Davion Flanagan. Both Russo and Fl…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Dominic_Russo_and_Da…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The passengers, Russo and Flanagan, were pronounced dead at the scene. Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Nancy Margaret Russo said Monday she grappled with whether to give Shirilla consecutive or con…
https://www.aol.com/news/hell-wheels-teen-killed-boyfriend-1…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — In 2022, Mackenzie Shirilla intentionally crashed her car in Strongsville, Ohio, killing two unsuspecting passengers in the process. Shirilla, then 17, drove her car into a building at 100 mph, killin…
https://medium.com/@welovetruecrime/mackenzie-shirillas-stor…

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Claim 6: “school records showing she was disciplined for bullying”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence mentions her parents, her graduation from Strongsville High School, and her conviction, but there is no mention of school records regarding discipline for bullying.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The family of Mackenzie Shirilla’s victims addressed the judge ahead of the 19-year-old killer’s sentencing Monday. Shirilla was convicted of purposefully mu...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIIp4Bg4C_M

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web search NEUTRAL — Mackenzie Shirilla is currently serving her sentence in an Ohio women’s prison in Marysville while her legal team continues filing appeals and post-conviction relief petitions.
https://www.distractify.com/p/where-is-mackenzie-shirilla-no…

verified

Claim 7: “the judge found her guilty of four murder, felonious assault and aggravated vehicular homicide during a dramatic bench trial”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and other court-related reports confirm she was found guilty of four counts of murder, felonious assault, and aggravated vehicular homicide.

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web search NEUTRAL — Mackenzie Shirilla. Verdict. Guilty. Convictions. Four counts of murder, felonious assault, two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, one count of drug possession, and possessing criminal tools.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Dominic_Russo_and_Da…

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web search NEUTRAL — Shirilla had been charged with four counts of murder, four counts of felonious assault, aggravated vehicular homicide, drug possession, and possessing criminal tools, according to court records.
https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/1pm-sentencin…

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web search NEUTRAL — Mackenzie Shirilla, 19, was also found guilty of four counts of felonious assault and two counts of aggravated vehicular assault for a July 2022 crash that killed her boyfriend Dominic Russ, 20, and h…
https://dailycaller.com/2023/08/16/literal-hell-wheels-macke…

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Claim 8: “Steve Shirilla was removed from his position as an art and digital media teacher at Mary Queen of Peace School on Monday”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web search results confirm that Steve Shirilla, an art and digital media teacher at Mary Queen of Peace School, was placed on administrative leave/suspended following the release of a Netflix documentary.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Steve works as an Art and Digital Media teacher at the Mary Queen of Peace School in Cleveland, with the school placing him on administrative leave. Steve has been placed on administrative leave by hi…
https://www.ladbible.com/entertainment/tv/mackenzie-shirilla…

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web search NEUTRAL — Steve Shirilla was suspended from his position at Mary Queen of Peace School in Cleveland after the streaming service debuted "The Crash" on May 18, 2026.
https://www.fakta.co/steve-shirilla-suspended-netflix-docume…

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web search NEUTRAL — Her father, Steve Shirilla, has now been placed on administrative leave from his position at Mary Queen of Peace School in Cleveland since the documentary’s release. According to the school’s website,…
https://www.kptv.com/2026/05/19/mackenzie-shirillas-father-p…

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.