A Florida father has been charged with first-degree murder more than two years after his infant son died. James Westervelt, 38, faces the murder charge in connection with the death of his six-month-old son, who died in August 2024.
Authorities stated that the baby was two months old when Westervelt allegedly used a leaf blower on him "for a laugh." The infant was subsequently placed on life support, and his cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma caused by bouncing, according to reports.
Westervelt was initially facing child abuse charges related to the incident. He remains in custody in Marion County and is scheduled for another court appearance in September.
Court records also indicate Westervelt faced separate charges in May for possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. His next court date for those charges is August 5 for a pretrial conference. Attorneys for Westervelt and the Marion County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.