Dad accused of murdering six-month-old boy tells police he 'found it funny'

Dad accused of murdering six-month-old boy tells police he 'found it funny' Officals say it wasn't the first time the dad had used gardening tools to terrorise his own infant son - who has not been named and died in hospital in August 2024 A father has admitted to police that he 'found it funny' to allegedly torment his own son with a leaf blower, it has now been revealed. James Westervelt, a 38-year-old Florida man, used a leaf blower to terrorise his own infant son on multiple occasions prior to the child's death at six months of age. Westervelt admitted to police he 'found it funny' to use the high-powered gardening implement on his son. And it isn't the first time he had turned on the tot armed with a leaf blower: he also faces child abuse for tormenting his son at two months of age with the same power tool. That incident had left the child in significant distress and struggling to breathe. The boy, who has not been named, died in hospital in August 2024 after he was admitted to hospital on life support. Doctors say the baby suffered blunt force trauma as a result of being over-bounced; injuries which the boy may have sustained at the hands of his own dad armed with the leaf blower. But, as well as admitting to investigators that the 38-year-old found the leaf blower attacks "funny", police now also say they have obtained footage of the Florida man recklessly blowing air at the boy in another incident prior to the one that wound up killing him. As a result, Westerfelt has now also been hit with a first-degree murder charge for the death of the baby boy, in addition to already-pending child abuse charges. The incident comes days after a toddler tragically lost his life after he was abandoned in a scalding hot bath by his mother’s boyfriend, who left the child to pick up drugs. During the shocking ordeal when the burns were found on the child - instead of administering medical attention, ointment was applied by the couple instead, leading to the boy's death. The horror occurred back in September 2023 while Sergio Mena, 34, was watching over Henry Wheatley-Brown – the one-year-old son of his girlfriend Samantha Garver, 36. On the day of the tragic incident Mena was set to bathe the child and placed the toddler into the scalding bath. Mena then left the infant to pick up some methamphetamine and came back to find the boy screaming after being "severely burned." Mena then called the one-year-old’s mother who returned home later that evening. Prosecutors stated: "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 Mena and his girlfriend called emergency services stating Henry was suffering from "shallow breathing."