Dad accused of killing infant son with leaf blower told cops he ‘thought it would be fun’

NewsUS News A DAD faces a first-degree murder charge following the death of his six-month-old son after he allegedly used a leaf blower on him. James Westervelt, 38, from Belleview, Florida, was indicted this week in the death of his son Kenneth back in 2024. James Westervelt, 38, was indicted on a first-degree murder charge two years after the death of his 6-month-old son Credit: Marion County Sheriff's Office Kenneth Westervelt was put on life support at just two months old as a result of the incident, and died four months later Credit: Obituary /Legacy The infant was just two months old when his dad allegedly used a leaf blower to blow air at him. Kenneth was seriously injured in the incident and place on life support. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! He succumbed to his injuries in August when he was six-months old. When he was arrested by officers, he told them he used the leaf blower on the baby because he thought it would be funny. A video allegedly shows the dad using the gardening equipment on his son, in which the baby struggled to breathe, WCJB News reported. He is also accused of bouncing the child to death after his cause of death was noted as blunt head trauma caused by bouncing. Initially, Westervelt was arrested on child abuse charges but these were increased to murder. He remains behind bars in Marion County and will appear in court in September. Most read in The Sun Westervelt will appear in court on Wednesday for a separate case regarding illegal drugs, The New York Post reported, citing court records. He was charged with possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia back in May and is due to have a pretrial conference this week.