Daniel Silva is taking responsibility for his role in the fatal car crash that killed Corey La Barrie.
The tattoo artist sought forgiveness from the late YouTube star's loved ones and fans in a YouTube video shared Feb. 16, which marked his first public comments since the May 2020 incident. Silva read a letter 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.
In July 2020, Silva reached a plea deal with prosecutors and plead no contest to one felony count of gross vehicular manslaughter. One month later, he was sentenced to 364 days in county jail, five years of probation and 250 hours of community service.
Now, as the first anniversary of La Barrie's death approaches, Silva said he's still grappling with his decision to get behind the wheel that night.
"It's almost impossible to find the right words for something like this," the Ink Master star shared, "and 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."
Silva, who suffered multiple injuries in the crash, continued, "After the accident, all I could do was keep thinking about how the family was doing and the pain they must be going through. When I was in the hospital I was able to watch the news unfold and watched as the media kept spreading this misinformation."
But after coming to terms with the facts of the case, Silva said La Barrie's family experienced a "profound impact on [their] hearts and minds."
According to the letter shared by Silva, the family's attorney wrote, "Most important in making their decision to request the dismissal of the second-degree murder charges was the fact that the family thought long and hard about what Corey would have wanted in this case... Mr. Silva was a very close friend of Corey."
"The La Barrie family believes that Corey would not want to see Mr. Silva in prison for what now appears to be a tragic accident," Silva, whose own brother was killed in a car accident years prior, read.
From Silva's perspective, he can't thank the La Barrie family enough for their understanding.
"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 concluded. "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. "
Looking towards the future, Silva said he's committed to becoming a "positive influence and an advocate for safe driving."
Watch his full message above.