Heartbreaking final text victim sent father before Mackenzie Shirilla car crash

Mackenzie Shirilla's boyfriend sent his father a moving text message just mere hours before he died in a horror 100mph collision.

Dominic Russo, 20, and Davion Flanagan, 19, lost their lives on 31 July, 2022, after the Toyota Camry they were travelling in smashed into a brick building in Strongsville, Ohio.

The driver responsible for the deadly crash was Russo's girlfriend of four-years, Mackenzie Shirilla, who was then 17-years-old.

The trio had been hanging out with a group of pals the prior evening before and left the gathering in the early hours of the morning.

Tragically, her two passengers never made it out of the car alive - as a judge who described Shirilla as 'literal hell on wheels' ruled that she had purposely caused the fatal smash.

Sentencing the killer to 15 years to life in August 2023, Judge Nancy Russo said the driver's actions had been 'controlled, methodical, deliberate, intentional and purposeful'.

A recently released Netflix documentary titled The Crash delved back into the complex case and featured a number of poignant interviews with friends and family of the victims.

Pals of Dominic and Davion shared their accounts of what had happened in the lead up to the deadly incident, while their relatives also spoke of the immeasurable grief they continue to battle.

Bubba Turner, who was a good friend of both of the late lads, revealed the touching final conversation he shared with Davion before he fatefully climbed in the back seat of Shirilla's car.

Bubba told viewers of the documentary that he and the aspiring barber had planned to work on his truck together the following morning.

"Right before they left, me and Davion were talking," he said. "He was supposed to come over to work on my truck with me the next morning. I offered to take him home. It was set that he was coming home with me.

"And like last minute, he goes, 'You know what, I want to shower and maybe sleep for a little bit'.

"For some reason that morning, he gave me a hug and goes, 'I love you'. And I was like, 'I love you bro'. Very weird. It was the first time we said we loved each other in a while."

Dominic's dad Frank and sister Christine appeared in The Crash (Netflix)

Dominic's relatives, including his father Frank and sister Christine, also appeared in The Crash to share their recollections.

Viewers also saw bodycam footage which captured the moment police officers informed the dad that his 20-year-old son had perished in the crash.

After cops delivered the devastating news, Frank asked them whether they were aware of what time the crash had taken place.

He then told them that Dominic had been in touch with him in the early hours of the morning and sent him a sweet three-word text message at 2:53am - just hours before his death.

The text simply read: "Love you dad."

Dominic's sister Christine spoke of how their 'really close family' had been ripped apart by his passing.

Davion Flanagan died alongside his 20-year-old friend in the horror 2022 crash in Ohio (Netflix)

Showing a snap of her young son David kissing her late little brother on the cheek that 'melts her heart', she said; "You couldn't buy this picture off me for a million bucks. It means the world to me.

"He loved his nieces and nephews. He was there for everything, every family holiday. We're a really close family. That's probably the worst part. He didn't get to see my kids grow up."

Shirilla, who maintains her innocence and suggested a medical condition could have caused her to black out behind the wheel, is serving her sentence at the Ohio Reformatory for Women. She will be eligible for parole in October 2037.

On a bizarre jail call, she was heard speaking of her desire for aspiring lawyer and socialite Kim Kardashian to help out with her legal case.

But the mother-of-four reportedly dismissed the idea of lending Shirilla a hand. Inmates who claim to have been locked up with the double murderer have also spoken out about what Shirilla was like behind bars.