It’s a heinous story that shocked the New York community, 34-year-old Erin Merdy drowned her 7, 4 and 3 month old children in the Atlantic Ocean. Merdy left their bodies along the Coney Island shoreline where it took authorities hours to find them. A judge showed leniency to Merdy, going against prosecutors who wanted her sentenced to life without parole. Once you hear how her life turned upside down, from a young woman with hopes of a health care career to a hopeless single mother suffering from postpartum depression, his lesser sentence may be more understandable.