"I don't think most voters are going to hold this against the guy. He is trying to preserve whatever dignity is left for this family."
I don't think they'd blame him for trying to shield the parents from the media but you can't mess with the police investigation. The public has a right to know where the girls got the vodka. A local liquor store? An older friend? Did they take it from parents? Supposedly the girl had a fake ID. Where did that come from?
When a drunk killed two people after barhopping in my town, they charged the bartender at the last stop with two counts of manslaughter.