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Thursday, October 24, 2013

Don't Drink and Drive ~ Or Any Other Help

I was drawn to the news article about 'Don't Drink and Drive' and then to this website 'Because I Said I Would' which I thought was a very good positive movement. Hopefully this post will help those of us in need of help in one way or another.

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Blog to Follow
~ actually, YouTube to Follow

Because I Said I Would
http://www.youtube.com/user/becauseisaidiwould


Because I said I would is a social movement dedicated to bettering humanity through the power of a promise. To encourage positive change and acts of kindness, we send "promise cards" to anywhere in the world at no cost. Because I said I would executes charitable projects in support of other non-profit organizations and good they bring into the world.
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Here's one very good sample which is actually a true story.
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YouTube View
"I killed a man."

Published on 3 Sep 2013
This video was released on September 3rd, 2013. Since the release of this video, Matt has been charged with aggravated vehicular homicide. His court date is on September 18th. He will plead guilty. At this moment, Matt can be bailed out of jail and has the means to meet those bail requirements. Instead, he chooses to stay in jail.

Why did Matt initially plead Not Guilty? 

The Assistant County Prosecutor, Keith McGrath, assigned to Matt's case said that "It's just how our court system works, you have to plead 'Not Guilty' to get that random judge, then plead guilty." 

This guy's job is to Matt in prison for THE MAXIMUM sentence. 

Mr. McGrath stated "...Matt has no choice on how the court process works." 

If Matt didn't get a random judge, they could have accused him of "judge shopping" down the road. Judge shopping is when you just wait until the week your favorite or most lenient judge is working and you just "happen" to plead guilty that week (no random selection). 

For more information:
http://becauseisaidiwould.com/whynotguilty/

This video contains a typo, the video was recorded on August 27th and released on September 3rd. He wanted to wait to notify the victim's family.






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Matthew Cordle's first message to... 
'Because I Said I Would'


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News Article 1
http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/world/story/
youtube-drunk-driving-confessor-gets-6-12-years-prison-20131024


YouTube drink-driving confessor gets 6 1/2 years in prison
Published on Oct 24, 2013
6:12 AM

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The young Ohio man whose remorseful video claim of responsiblity for a fatal drink-driving accident has gone viral on YouTube was sentenced on Wednesday to 6 1/2 years behind bars.

Matthew Cordle, 22, stood passively and attentively as gravel-voiced Judge David Fais sent him to jail after replaying in court the emotional video confession that has now been seen online more than 2.3 million times.

"It should have been me (who died) that night, instead of an innocent man," said Cordle, who had earlier pleaded guilty, as he publicly apologised to the family of the victim, Vincent Canzani, 61.

"The true punishment is simply living - living with the knowledge that I took an innocent life. That pain and weight will never go away," he told the court, dressed in a green prison T-shirt and flanked by his lawyers.

Picture Caption:
Matthew Cordle, right, stands before a judge during sentencing on Wednesday, Oct 23, 2013, in Columbus, Ohio. Cordle, whose remorseful video claim of responsiblity for a fatal drunk-driving accident has gone viral on YouTube, was sentenced on Wednesday to 6 1/2 years behind bars. -- PHOTO: AP


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News Article 2

Matthew Cordle sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison 
after confession to killing man while driving drunk
OCTOBER 24, 2013

A MAN has been sentenced to 6½ years in prison for causing a fatal wrong-way crash after a night of heavy drinking, which he had confessed to in an online video.

Matthew Cordle, 22, had faced up to eight-and-a-half years in prison.

Franklin County Judge David Fais sentenced Cordle to six years for aggravated vehicular homicide and six months for driving under the influence of alcohol. He also revoked his driving privileges for life as required by Ohio state law.

Cordle's guilty plea last month came just a week after he was indicted in a speedy process absent of the numerous court filings that usually cause such cases to drag on for weeks or months.

The victim, Vincent Canzani, was a talented artist and photographer who enjoyed working out and spending time with friends and family, his daughter Angela told the court.

"My father got a death sentence and did nothing wrong," Angela Canzani told the judge, asking for the maximum sentence.

Ms Canzani said her children and her sister's children will never get to see their grandfather again.

The judge also read a letter from Vincent Canzani's ex-wife, who said she believed Vincent Canzani would not have wanted a maximum sentence. She said she believes Cordle will keep his promise never to drink and drive again.

Cordle's father, Dave Cordle, told the judge he was "disappointed, disgusted and heartbroken" at the choices his son made that night. He did not ask for leniency, and told Canzani's family his heart was filled with sorrow at their loss and hopes someday they can forgive his son.

In a three-and-a-half-minute video posted in early September, Cordle admitted he killed a man and said he "made a mistake" when he decided to drive that night.

"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."

Cordle acknowledged having a drinking problem after the crash and entered a treatment program as prosecutors gathered evidence against him. He told his attorneys early on that he wanted to plead guilty but made the video against their advice.

Prosecutors say a heavily intoxicated Cordle denied causing an accident or killing anyone when he was first taken to a hospital after the crash, in which he suffered broken ribs and a fractured skull. His attorneys say he may have suffered a brain injury.

Cordle, who lives in Powell, a Columbus suburb, told Judge Fais last month that he had no recollection of the crash, how much he'd had to drink that night or whether he'd had anything to eat.

"I drank so much I was blacked out," Cordle said at the Sept. 18 hearing where he pleaded guilty.

Prosecutor Ron O'Brien said he believed Cordle's remorse in the video was genuine, but he said any further interviews would be self-serving. He also disputed Cordle's assertion in the confessional video that he could have fought the case against him, which Mr O'Brien called "a slam dunk."

Mr O'Brien sought the maximum sentence of eight-and-a-half years. Cordle's attorneys asked for a sentence that was fair.

The video posted on YouTube has been viewed more than 2.3 million times. It 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.

He then describes how he ended up driving into oncoming traffic on Interstate 670. Cordle's face becomes clear as he reveals his name and confesses to killing Canzani.

He ends the video by pleading with viewers not to drink and drive.
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