(VIDEO) Man's online confession: I killed a man while drunk driving

A drunk driver confessed on Thursday to killing a 61-year-old Navy veteran as he drove drunk down the wrong side of a highway in a shocking online promotional video.

 

Matthew Cordle says he hit and killed Vincent Canzani on June 22 but stayed silent until now. 

 

His confession was released last night on a video to promote a not-for-profit web start up called 'Because I Said I Would' which promotes the use of 'promise cards' where individuals set goals for themselves. 

 

Today, the ex-wife of Mr Canzini told MailOnline she 'applauded' the decision of Cordle - who now faces criminal charges brought by the county prosecutor. 

 

 

Video confession: The 3.5 minute video starts out with his face blurred and voice altered as he explains how he was driving drunk when he killed someone

 

 

Moment of truth: Matthew Cordle identifies himself when the effects are taken away and says that he will plead guilty to any charges that he faces stemming from the June 22 accident

 

 

Cordle says in the video he 'made a mistake' when he decided to drive his truck home after 'drinking heavily' and hit the other car, killing Mr Canzani, of suburban Columbus.

 

The video begins with Cordle's face blurred as he describes how he has struggled with depression and was simply trying to have a good time with friends going 'from bar to bar' the night of the accident. 

 

Cordle's face becomes clear as he reveals his name and confesses to killing Mr Canzani.

 

'When I get charged I'll plead guilty and take full responsibility for everything I've done to Vincent and his family,' Cordle says.

 

Later, he says he understands that by releasing the video he's giving prosecutors 'everything they need to put me away for a very long time.'

 

The video was released in connection to a start-up called Because I Said I Would, a non-profit aimed at encouraging individuals to stay true to their personal commitments.

 

An obituary for Mr Canzani says that he served as a missile technician for a submarine from 1980 to 1986. 

 

Since leaving the Navy, he flourished as 'a gifted photographer' and was survived by two daughters and three great grandchildren. 

 

Today, Cheryl Olcott, who was married to Mr Canzani for 10 years, said that she is praying for him - and even forgave him for not coming forward for two months.

 

Mrs Olcott, said: 'I applaud Matt for stepping up to the plate. He's taken full responsibility. He is an honest man who has spoken the truth. It's unfortunate that the whole cycle of events has happened this way. I pray for Matthew Cordle.'

 

    

 

Victim: Vincent Canzani was 61 at the time of his death (pictured recently at right) and previously served in the Navy (seen in his uniform in an undated photo at left)

 

Asked if she would have preferred it if Cordle had admitted his guilt right away, she said: 'You can't change what's happened, that's all I know. I'm not a judge. There's only one judge and that's the big guy upstairs. Matthew is a good man. I commend him for that'.

 

Mrs Oclott, who love in Norwalk, Ohio, said she'd followed the case closely and remembered their time together fondly. 'There were a lot of good times,' she said.

 

She added Mr Canzani was an only child whose parents have died and said that he was estranged from his two grown-up daughters.

 

She said: 'He had no-one. He hasn't spoken with his daughters his whole life. He didn't raise them.'

 

Franklin County prosecutor Ron O'Brien on Thursday said Cordle was a suspect in the deadly crash but hadn't been charged.

 

 

Problems: The county prosecutor said that Matthew Cordle was considered a suspect in the case but had not been charged. In light of the video, he will presumably be charged with aggravated vehicular homicide

 

O'Brien said he saw the video on Wednesday and will ask a grand jury to indict Cordle for aggravated vehicular homicide with an alcohol specification, a charge that carries a maximum of eight years in prison upon conviction.

 

O'Brien said Cordle's blood sample from the night of the crash tested positive for alcohol and negative for drugs.

 

In the video, Cordle says that at the time of the accident he consulted with some ‘high-powered attorneys who told me similar cases where the drivers got off.’

 

‘They were convinced that they could get my blood test thrown out and all I would have to do for that was lie,’ he said.

 

His pledge: Cordle, 22, said that he was fully aware of the legal implications of making the video.

 

Defense attorney George Breitmayer III said the video 'is a strong testament' to Cordle's character. He said Cordle intends to co-operate with prosecutors.

 

Police in June said Canzani, of Gahanna, died at the scene after his Jeep was struck on Interstate 670.

 

Cordle ends the video confession by 'begging' viewers to not drink and drive.

 

'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,’ he said.

 

-The Daily Mail UK