Thanks for the suggestion regarding depraved heart/mind, but I was always taught that the difference between manslaughter & murder has to do with intent.
You hit someone with your vehicle and they die. While that alone isn't sufficient to get charged with a crime if the driver was impaired then their actions can be said to have been reckless and they disregarded the harm that they could potentially cause others by driving under the influence.
I think the defendant in this case squarely meets this definition in that he didn't plan or intend to murder anyone but his negligence in providing his son with a firearm ESPECIALLY after he was contacted by law enforcement regarding his son making online threats to commit a school shooting should have given him pause. Murder on the other hand means you intended to kill the person, basically "unlawfully took their life". The degree depends on how much effort went into planning the murder versus spur of the moment if I recall correctly.
