James Westervelt, a 38-year-old Florida man, has been charged with first-degree murder after his six-month-old son died in hospital in August 2024. Police say Westervelt admitted to investigators that he 'found it funny' to use a leaf blower on the child, and that he had done so on multiple occasions.
The boy, who has not been named, was admitted to hospital on life support. Westervelt had previously used the leaf blower on his son when the child was two months old, an incident that left the infant in significant distress and struggling to breathe. He was already facing child abuse charges over that attack.
Blunt force trauma
Doctors said the baby suffered blunt force trauma as a result of being over-bounced, injuries that may have been inflicted by his father using the leaf blower. Police also obtained footage of Westervelt blowing air at the boy in another incident prior to the one that proved fatal.
In addition to the pending child abuse charges, Westervelt now faces a first-degree murder charge for the baby's death.
Separate toddler death
In a separate incident in September 2023, one-year-old Henry Wheatley-Brown died after being placed in a scalding hot bath by his mother's boyfriend, Sergio Mena, 34. Mena left the child to pick up methamphetamine and returned to find him screaming with severe burns.
Henry's mother, Samantha Garver, 36, returned home later that evening. Prosecutors said: "Despite Henry's extensive and life-threatening injuries, neither defendant sought medical care, instead attempting to treat the burns with over-the-counter ointment." The following day, the couple called emergency services, reporting that Henry was suffering from "shallow breathing."
