i think this whole "deserve" thing is a matter of semantics.
Did he "deserve" to die in a general sense? No, he was a person, a young one no less, and his death is sad and unfortunate.
But due to his actions, he caused his own demise. No one else did. And it wasn't natural or an "accident". He decided to do certain things, taking extreme risks with his life, and there was a cause and effect relationship that led to his death. That's the meaning of "deserve" in this context.
Conversely, if he had killed an innocent bystander with his actions, that victim would not have "deserved" to die because they died through no intentional action they took.
It's not about being heartless at all. It's about seeing a clear cause and effect based on someone's irresponsible actions. It's just that simple.