Daniel Silva Speaks Out on Corey La Barrie's Death Nearly One Year After Fatal Car Crash
Daniel Silva has broken his silence on the death of Corey La Barrie. In a 9-minute video posted on YouTube on Tuesday, the Ink Master star spoke out on the car crash that killed La Barrie on his 25th birthday last May.
Silva was arrested for murder after the car he was driving crashed, with La Barrie in the passenger seat. Both he and La Barrie were transported to a local hospital following the crash, where La Barrie succumbed to his injuries.
Silva was charged with one count of second-degree murder days later, to which he pleaded not guilty. In July, Silva took a plea deal and entered a no contest plea to one count of felony gross vehicular manslaughter.
In August, Silva was sentenced to four years in state prison, which was suspended. He was also sentenced to 365 days behind bars in county jail, with credit for 216 days already served. Silva was also given five years of probation and 250 hours of community service.
In his video on Tuesday, Silva sought forgiveness from La Barrie's family, friends and fans.
"It's almost impossible to find the right words for something like this," Silva said. "At the moment I'm still processing all of these emotions that I'm going through, and just being forced to confront the fact that this accident resulted in the death of one of my best friends."
The former reality star also read a letter allegedly sent on behalf of La Barrie's family to the judge presiding over the case, in which they requested the dismissal of the second-degree murder charge in favor of manslaughter.
"It's hard to put into words how truly grateful I am for the family to send a letter like this in such a difficult time," he shared. "The fact that they even showed me an ounce of empathy and were able to look past the misinformation instead of seeking vengeance shows how compassionate and understanding they really are."
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