Mackenzie Shirilla's dad placed on leave as workplace issue statement after Netflix's The Crash controversy
The parents of Mackenzie Shirilla have come under fire for their interviews in the new Netflix documentary The Crash, with her father Steve saying he was happy with her smoking weed at 17 in one interview in the doc.
Netflix’s The Crash tells the story of how Mackenzie Shirilla was arrested for the murder of her boyfriend Dominic Russo and his friend Davion Flanagan after she crashed her car at 100 mph into a wall.
Mackenzie gives her first ever interview from behind bars in the documentary, with the families of Davion and Dominic both speaking out in the doc.
Now though it has been confirmed by Cleveland 19 that Steve Shirilla has been suspended from his job at a local school as a result of his conduct in the documentary.
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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.
Parents and guardians of children at the school were sent an email confirming the news, which Cleveland 19 were able to get a copy of.
The letter sent to parents read: “Dear Mary Queen of Peace School Parents, Families, and Guardians,
"We are investigating allegations made on social media that one of our teachers has demonstrated poor judgement. Upon learning of the allegation the school acted immediately and placed the teacher on administrative leave. The investigation is ongoing. We want every parent and family to know that the safety, wellbeing, and trust of our students remain among our highest priorities.
“We take all student concerns seriously and are committed to responding promptly and responsibly whenever concerns are brought forward.
“While we are limited in what we can share during an active personnel investigation, please know that we are reviewing the matter and will provide additional communication as appropriate.
“We appreciate your continued support of the Mary Queen of Peace School community.”
A spokesperson has since has since confirmed Shirilla's suspension, telling LADbible: "Administrators at Mary Queen of Peace School in Cleveland are investigating allegations made on social media that one of its teachers has demonstrated poor judgement. Upon learning of the allegation, the school acted immediately and placed the teacher on administrative leave. The investigation is ongoing.
"The health and wellbeing of its students are among the highest priorities for Mary Queen of Peace School, and its leadership team takes all allegations of poor judgment very seriously."
Shirilla previously confirmed to the local news station that he had been placed on leave, with the teacher reportedly saying that he’s ‘upset with the documentary’ and blamed the editing by Netflix.
Steve and Mackenzie’s mother Natalie Shirilla have been ardent in their support of Mackenzie throughout her legal process and ongoing attempts to appeal her conviction.
The pair reveal in the documentary they did not feel that all the evidence was considered in her case, but her attempt to appeal the conviction was denied after she missed the deadline by one day.
Speaking to Netflix’s Tudum, a producer from The Crash said that she believes Shirilla’s parents will continue to fight her case.
Speaking to Tudum, Angharad Scott said: “We know that the Shirillas will use every recourse available to them. As they say in the film, ‘We will fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight.’ And I do believe they really will do that.”
Mackenzie will next be up for parole in 2037, and is currently serving two concurrent sentences of between 15 years and life after she was found guilty of two counts of murder as well as a litany of further charges including aggravated vehicle homicide and drug possession.
The Crash is available to stream on Netflix now.
Topics: Crime, Documentaries, Netflix, TV and Film, True Crime, Mackenzie Shirilla
Michael Slavin