I can't describe how much I loathe this type of prosecution.
I'm of mixed feelings on it. If a criminal commits a crime that results in people's death (even if they didn't drop the hammer themselves) then they are the proximate cause of that death even if they didn't kill the person directly. We can quibble on what the charge is called or the severity of the punishment or the extent to which it should be applied, but when a criminal action results in a situation that causes someone's death the person who set up that situation bears responsibility for that death.
There was an incident here in AZ about 8-10 years ago or so, with a high speed highway chase. A news helicopter crashed while attempting to film it. The guy driving the car was charged with 1st degree murder of the news chopper pilot.
No, that is not true. You can look up his case yourself: S-0700-CR-2009007091
Christopher Jermaine Jones (inmate number 211220) was hit with 41 charges relating to the chase, but none of them homicide - felony murder or otherwise. NTSB ruled the crash to be pilot error and as far as I can see Jones was not charged with anything relating to the crash of the helicopter or the deaths that resulted from that crash.