Local Law Firms Home > Drunk Driving News > Man Confessed to Drunk Driving Homicide on YouTube Sentenced Man that Confessed to Drunk Driving Homicide on YouTube Sentenced Matthew Cordle, A 22-year-old Ohio man responsible for the death of a 61-year-old veteran as a result of a drunk driving crash was sentenced to six and a half years in prison. His driver's license will also be permanently revoked. Cordle gained recognition for his crime after posting a YouTube confession video. In the video, he admits to killing 61-year-old Vincent Canzani after hitting his car head on. Cordle, who had two times more than the legal blood alcohol content in his system, was driving down the wrong side of the road prior to the collision. Cordle acknowledged that he could most likely get away with a lesser sentence or none at all had he decided to fight the charge. "When I get charged, I will plead guilty and take full responsibility for what I've done to Vince and his family," Cordle said in his YouTube video. The decision to post the video online was made to give the prosecution against him "everything they need" to carry out the maximum penalty for the crime. The video, which now has over two and a half million views, goes on to say that fighting the charges would dishonor the memory of the man that he killed. Cordle begs the audience of his video to not drink and drive, even if it seems like it isn't a problem. "Don’t say it’s only a few miles, or you’ve only had a few beers, or you do it all time or it won’t happen to you because it happened to me," he said. Though originally stating that he would plead guilty, Cordle entered a not guilty plea in court. According to his lawyer, "the reason we entered the not guilty plea is so there is no allegations that we chose a particular judge for a particular reason." Because of the plea, a random judge was assigned to the case. The daughter of the man killed by Cordle spoke at the sentencing, expressing hope that Cordle received the maximum sentence for his crime. Cordle's father also expressed negativity toward his son's actions. Prior to receiving the six and a half year prison sentence, Cordle said, "the true punishment is simply living, living with the knowledge that I took an innocent life...That pain and weight will never go away." If you need legal advice on how to handle a drunk driving situation, contact an experienced DUI Lawyer in your local area today. |