A Florida dad who allegedly admitted he thought it’d be fun to use a leaf blower on his infant son has been charged with murder.
James Westervelt, 38, was charged with first-degree murder on Thursday with first-degree murder — two years after his six-month-old died in the hospital, WAFF48 reported.
Police said the child was just two months old when Westervelt allegedly blew air recklessly at him with the blower for a laugh.
The baby was placed on life support, but died in August 2024. His cause of death was blunt force trauma caused by bouncing, according to the outlet.
Westervelt, who was previously facing child abuse charges stemming from the fatal incident, remains in custody in Marion County and is due back in court in September.
The Bellevue man was previously charged with possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in May, according to court records. His next scheduled court date on these charges is on Aug. 5 for a pretrial conference.
Westervelt’s attorney and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately return requests for comment.
