A six-month-old baby died after spending time on life support, and a lengthy investigation has now led to a murder charge against the child’s own father. According to court documents, the father allegedly told investigators he used a leaf blower on his infant because he thought it would be “fun.”

Florida dad kills infant son with leafblower — allegedly claiming he thought it would be fun

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 — 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.

A mug shot of James Westervelt.
James Westervelt was charged with first-degree murder on Thursday.Marion County Sheriff’s Office

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.