A Florida father is facing a first-degree felony-murder indictment after investigators described a video of him directing a leaf blower at his infant son as a joke. James Westervelt III, 38, of Marion County, was indicted Thursday, nearly two years after the six-month-old died following hospitalization. The case has now moved from a long-running death investigation into a formal felony prosecution.
The Independent reported that prosecutors filed the indictment Thursday, charging Westervelt with first-degree felony murder. The filing indicated that additional charges were still pending.
Deputies were called to a Marion County home in August 2024 after receiving a report of an unresponsive infant, according to WESH 2. The child was taken to a hospital, placed on life support, and died several days later; reports said the death was determined to have been caused by shaken baby syndrome.
Investigators later reportedly found video showing Westervelt using the yard tool on the infant’s face when the child was even younger, WCJB reported. Westervelt allegedly told investigators that he used the leaf blower because he thought it was funny, while deputies said the video showed the baby struggling to breathe.
A Two-Year Investigation Reaches Court
Westervelt had already been jailed on a child-abuse case involving the same infant before the murder indictment was filed. Investigators told WESH 2 that a later interview with Westervelt produced contradictions that helped authorities develop the murder case with the State Attorney’s Office.
Westervelt remains in Marion County custody and is due back in court in September, according to WAFF. The indictment is a formal accusation, not a conviction, and the allegations must be proved in court.
