Florida Father Kills Baby with Leaf Blower
James Westervelt faces first-degree murder charge for six-month-old son's death after shocking confession and new evidence.
James Westervelt faces first-degree murder charge for six-month-old son's death after shocking confession and new evidence.
James Westervelt (38) from Ocala, Florida, has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of his six-month-old son, Kenneth, who passed away in August 2024. The new indictment was filed on July 30 after investigators gathered additional evidence and confronted the suspect with inconsistencies in his statements.
According to the Marion County Sheriff's Office report, Westervelt had been in custody since April of this year on child abuse charges related to the same case. During a new interrogation, as stated by the sheriff's office, he gave enough contradictory statements that, in cooperation with the State Attorney's Office, a more serious charge was filed.
Key evidence in the case was a video recording made before the child's death. It shows Westervelt using a leaf blower and directing a powerful stream of air directly at the baby, who was only two months old at the time. He later admitted to investigators that he found it amusing.
"I thought it would be funny," Westervelt said, as reported by the New York Post.
The child was rushed to the hospital and placed on life support, but despite doctors' efforts, little Kenneth died a few days later. The autopsy report, according to Telegram, indicated severe injury resulting from violent shaking of the child, while N1 BiH reports that the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head and body caused by vigorous bouncing and shaking from the air blast.
This is not Westervelt's first run-in with the law. In May of this year, he was also charged with possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. He was initially charged with second-degree murder, but prosecutors dropped that charge and filed a new, more serious one at the end of July.
Westervelt remains in custody in Marion County, with the next hearing scheduled for September. His attorney has not commented on the case so far, and the Marion County Sheriff's Office has not responded to additional media inquiries.
