Drunk Driver Makes Powerful Confession

'I killed a man,' says Matthew Cordle
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 6, 2013 7:30 AM CDT

The video is affecting: It starts with a man, face blurred and voice obscured, stating, "I killed a man." He tells his story, about "drinking heavily" with friends and losing control. "I really don't like the person I become when I drink," he says. That night, blacked out, he tried to drive home and ended up hitting and killing Vincent Canzani in a wrong-way crash. The "high-powered attorneys" he consulted told him they could probably get him off, "and all I would have to do for that was lie," he says. "Well, I won't go down that path." He then speaks with his face and voice unaltered. "My name is Matthew Cordle and on June 22, 2013, I hit and killed Vincent Canzani. This video will act as my confession."

The Columbus, Ohio, man goes on to promise that he will plead guilty and "take full responsibility for everything I've done to Vincent and his family." Why? Because he wants to pass along a message: "I beg you, and I say the word 'beg' specifically, I am begging you, please don't drink and drive." Though he can't bring Vincent back, "you can still be saved," Cordle says. "Your victims can still be saved." The video (filmed Tuesday) ends with a link to BecauseISaidIWould.com, a website that aims to help people keep their promises. Cordle, 22, has not yet been charged in the Ohio crash, the Columbus Dispatch reports. His lawyer says he was not aware of Cordle's video plans, but that the video "demonstrates his character, bravery, and integrity." The county prosecutor calls it "the most compelling video I think I have seen." He will on Monday ask a grand jury to indict Cordle for aggravated vehicular homicide, which carries a maximum prison sentence of eight years. (More drunk driving stories.)

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