Man Confesses to DUI Death in Online Video

In an online video, a man who was behind the wheel of a vehicle while intoxicated confessed to driving in the wrong direction, which resulted in a collision that killed another driver. He now faces a homicide charge.

Matthew Cordle went on to deliver his confession on a video intended to be released online to allegedly take responsibility for the crime which he had committed. He wanted to pay his respect to the memory of the driver he killed and wanted to urge other drivers to stop drinking and driving.

Cordle, 22-year-old admitted that while in nearly blacked out drunken state, he got into his truck and drove against traffic. In the video he states "My name is Matthew Cordle, and on June 22nd, 2013, I hit and killed Vincent Canzani."

Canzani, 61, died when the wrong-way driver hit his Jeep on Interstate 670 near Columbus, Ohio.

On Monday, a grand jury in Franklin County, Ohio, indicted Cordle on charges of aggravated vehicular homicide and operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol. He is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday afternoon.

If Ohio's legal system convicts Cordle, he faces a maximum sentence of eight and a half years in prison, prosecutor Ron O'Brien said.

The video earned over a million views within a week of its release. 

While some viewers commented that they believe the video was shot in an attempt to reduce the prison sentence of the driver involved in the deadly DUI crash, Canzani's ex-wife, Cheryl Oates, believes Cordle's remorse is genuine.

"He said I made a huge mistake, and I'm going to take what's coming to me," Oates said. "You've got to respect him for that."

Oates is a mother of two sons. She believes that Cordle should spend some time in prison but she feels pain for him every time she watches the confession video.

"It's gut-wrenching coming from a mother looking at that young boy, and he just doesn't understand the damage that he did," she said.

O'Brien told reporters that the video has not influenced him to recommend a lighter sentence.

"We had a case against him based on the evidence as I know it before the video was filmed," he said.

Cordle's lawyer, George S. Breitmayer III, said leniency was not the goal of Cordle's video.

"Despite any speculation of his intentions, the video was meant to raise awareness related to the serious issues surrounding drinking and driving," the defense lawyer stated. "In addition, (Cordle) hopes his confession will offer the Canzanis some level of closure by avoiding any lengthy, drawn out legal proceedings."

Don’t drink and drive.

If you were injured by a drunken driver, contact Dara Khajavi at DaraLaw.com.