YouTube Drunken Driving Confessor Changes Plea to Guilty
Matthew Cordle changed his plea to guilty in front of new judge today.
Sept. 18, 2013 — -- Matthew Cordle, the Ohio man who confessed to killing a man on a drunk driving accident earlier this summer, has kept to his promise and pleaded guilty today.
Cordle, 22, caused a stir in the 3.5-minute video, uploaded to YouTube on Sept. 3, in which he admits to causing the death of Vincent Canzani, 61, on June 22. Cordle, who was found injured at the scene of the accident and brought to the hospital, had blood-alcohol content measured at 0.19 after the accident.
Cordle turned himself in to police earlier this month.
YouTube Drunken Driving Confessor Gets New Judge After Not Guilty Plea. Read more here.
A further stir was caused on Sept. 11 when Cordle initially pleaded not guilty before Judge Julie Lynch, in what is believed to have been a tactical move by his attorneys to have a new judge preside over his case. She eventually set a combined $255,000 bond.
Today, before veteran Franklin County Judge David Fais, Cordle changed his plea to guilty on charges of aggravated vehicular homicide and driving under the influence.
"Yes, your honor," Cordle said, confirming his plea.
In the slickly produced but somber clip that quickly went viral, Cordle says that he was "just trying to have a good time, but lost control."
In the clip, which begins with Cordle's speaking to the camera with his face blurred and voice distorted, he says that in the aftermath of the accident he consulted "high-powered attorneys" who said that they could help get his blood test thrown out. But Cordle said he wants to come clean about his culpability in Canzani's death.
"My name is Matthew Cordle, and on June 22, 2013, I hit and killed Vincent Canzani," he says. "This video will act as my confession."
At the end of the clip, Cordle begs viewers to not drink and drive.