YouTube Confession Leads to Indictment

Cordle confesses to killing Canzini in a video confession (YouTube)

On June 22nd—somewhere in the neighborhood of 3 a.m.—61-year-old Vincent Canzini was travelling down Interstate 670 in Columbus, Ohio when he was suddenly struck by a drunk driver going in the wrong direction. He was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later.

The primary suspect in this case was Matthew Cordle, a 22-year-old Franklin County man whose conscience apparently got the best of him. Rather than attempting to escape responsibility for Canzini’s death, he took a different approach.

Cordle taped a video confession and posted it to YouTube. Check it out HERE.

Thus far, his video has been viewed more than a million times, even by law enforcement officials in his area. As a result, Cordle has now been indicted on charges of operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and aggravated vehicular homicide. If he is convicted, then he could face as many as eight years in prison.

Of course, this doesn’t seem to shake Cordle because in his video, he accepts full responsibility for his actions and indicates that he will “take what’s coming” to him. In fact, his plan is to plead guilty and to hand the prosecution “everything they need to put [him] away for a very long time.”

Prosecutor Ron O’Brien told reporters he would not be influenced by Cordle’s video—the case against him was set long before his video was released—but Cordle’s lawyer George S. Breitmayer III claims leniency was never his client’s goal:

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

Vincent Canzini (Facebook)

Although Cordle and his lawyer claim not to be interested in a reduced sentence or undue sympathy, some still believe his motive for posting the video confession was blatantly self-serving. However, Canzini’s ex-wife Cheryl Oates disagrees.

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

That’s certainly good enough for me.

Yes, Cordle made a terrible mistake and, as a result, an innocent person died. Maybe he’s being sincere in his video confession and maybe he isn’t, but the fact he was willing to post it—knowing full well the potential consequences of his actions—should count for something.

We’ll just have to see what the courts decide when he is arraigned tomorrow, I suppose. Stay tuned to your favorite news source for more as this tragic story develops…