Read his arler from CNN.
So sad. But I have to agree 2nd degree mudrer fits. It more or less is meant to be
for "exterme stupidity that leads to a death" sort of like drinking a ton and then driving and hitting someone.
Harsh as it seems, and yes, he is probably suffering, but he did send this poor child to her death even if that was not his intent.
I strongly agree with stiff penalties--especially when an adult uses his power over a child so horribly. I believe that society MUST vigorously defend those who cannot defend themselves.
An act of forgetfulness is one thing. I have heard someone speak once, who accidentally left a child in a hot car, and in THAT case yes...I would agree the death itself was enough punishment. There was no
intent in that case--hence the highest charge that would have made sense would be manslaughter and even then, I think that leniency would be appropriate in some cases.
But in this case, there was clear intent. There was a willful action. Was the intent necessarily that the children die? No, but this man put his own well-being ahead of theirs. As a father, indeed, as a MAN, he should have put their lives ahead of his own, even to the point of being willing to die for them if necessary. But instead, he sent them to risk themselves when they were more vulnerable both physically and mentally. He cast them to the void, come whatever may. And now that one is dead, he should pay the price.
This is very much akin to a "heat-of-passion" murder: someone who may not have intended to kill, but got out of control and used deadly force. The act is done; it can't be taken back. There are some decisions so selfish and stupid that that individual can no longer be trusted as a responsible member of society.
For that, two things must happen: they must be punished for their actions, and an example must be made of them in order to demonstrate to the rest of society exactly what will and will not be tolerated. And that message should be clear: if you purposely imperil your children, there will be no mercy. Murder 2, in that light--and especially contrasted with the fact that mere forgetfulness brings a manslaughter charge, and that this was a willful act--makes absolute sense.
This is the same stupid shit as people leaving children in hot cars with the windows rolled up after "forgetting" to drop them off at day care. 
