Aragon and Quintana allowed the children to make the attempt to reach their mother’s house after their 1988 Buick Century got stuck in a snowdrift. They eventually returned to Aragon’s house. Aragon, however, only made it four mile before turning back.
Quintana was also the subject of drug charges for his possession of marijuana, methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.
This was an outrageous decision by these men who deserve to be punished. However, parental negligence is increasingly being treated as murder, a trend that I have criticized in the past. I have less sympathy here but the case does seem more like a manslaughter case rather than a second-degree murder case.