This Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2013, file photo shows Matthew Cordle, right, and his attorney, Martin Midian in court in Columbus, Ohio.
An Ohio man whose video confession that he caused a fatal drunk driving accident went viral was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison on Wednesday.
Matthew Cordle, 22, crashed into Vincent Canzani in June on I-670 near Columbus, killing him instantly. Cordle could have been sentenced to more than eight years behind bars, but Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge David W. Fais handed down the lighter sentence.
In the video, which was played in court at the sentencing, Cordle describes the exact circumstance of the crash, and attributes it to his decision to drink and drive. He commits himself to facing his fate rather than trying to avoid punishment. The video, which he recorded with becauseisaidiwould.com, was posted to YouTube and has since been viewed more than two million times.
“I’m so sorry for the pain I caused you, forth the loved one I’ve taken from you,” Cordle, who had previously pleaded guilty, said Wednesday just before he was sentenced. “It should have been me that night, the guilty party instead of an innocent man.”
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