Florida dad allegedly murdered toddler with leaf blower

A Florida dad who allegedly admitted he thought it’d be enjoyable to make use of a leaf blower on his toddler son has been charged with homicide.

James Westervelt, 38, was charged with first-degree homicide on Thursday — two years after his six-month-old died within the hospital, WAFF48 reported.

Police mentioned the kid was simply two months previous when Westervelt allegedly blew air recklessly at him with the blower for amusing.

The child was positioned on life help, however died in August 2024. His reason for loss of life was blunt drive trauma brought on by bouncing, in response to the outlet.

Westervelt, who was beforehand dealing with youngster abuse fees stemming from the deadly incident, stays in custody in Marion County and is due again in courtroom in September.

The Bellevue man was beforehand charged with possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in May, in response to courtroom data. His subsequent scheduled courtroom date on these fees is on Aug. 5 for a pretrial convention.

Westervelt’s legal professional and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office didn’t instantly return requests for remark.