Matthew Cordle, an Ohio man who confessed in an online video to being responsible for causing a fatal car crash had his court appearance delayed by at least a day, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday. Cordle, expected to give a guilty plea, has already confessed to drinking heavily and driving the wrong way, leading to killing Vincent Candani in the collision.
In his nearly four-minute video, Cordle admitted he killed a man from nearby, adding that he made a "mistake" to drive at all.
"My name is Matthew Cordle, and on June 22nd, 2013, I hit and killed Vincent Canzani. This video will act as my confession," he narrated in the video.
Cordle, due to appear in Franklin County court, has been charged with aggravated vehicular homicide. He still may wait for his case to be assigned to a permanent judge, the AP reported. Franklin County prosecutor said Cordle faces up to 8 ½ years in prison if convicted.
Cordle's defense team indicated that they hope he will be free on bond after pleading guilty, but "before being sentenced [he intends] to continue to spread his anti-drunken driving message," the AP reported.
Cordle's YouTube video, which was filmed on September 3, has so far generated over 1.2 million hits. The video details the series of events (and various emotions, which led to the fatal accident, with Cordle's confession serving as a plea for those not to drink and drive, like he had done that night.
"I can't bring Mr. Canzani back, and I can't erase what I've done, but you can still be saved. Your victims can still be saved," Cordle said.
