COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio man who confessed in a YouTube video to causing a fatal wrong-way crash after a night of heavy drinking has entered a preliღminary plea of not guilty.
At𝓡torneys for the man, Matthew Cordle, 22, say the plea is a procedural step allowing a judge to be appointed at random to accept a guilty plea.
The attorneys say Cordle will plead guilty next week to aggravated vehicular homicide to make good on his pledge to accept responsibil𒁃ity for the crash.
He also is charged with a misdemeanor count of operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol. He faces t😼wo to 8 1/2 years in prison.
The defense te😼am will decide later whether to seek Cordle’s release on bond before sentencing to allow him to spread his anti-drunk-drivin൩g message.
In a video posted last week, Cordle admits he killed a man in June and says he “made a mi▨st🉐ake” when he decided to drive while drunk.
“My name is Matthew Cordle, and on June 22, 2013, I hit and killed Vincent Canzani,” he says somberly. “This video💃 will act as my confession.”
The video was filmed Sept. 3, and the version that was posted on YouTube has been viewed aboutℱ 2 million times.