'If you never f—ing cheated on me': Dad used leaf blower on infant before fatal beating, blamed the mom's infidelity, police say

A 36-year-old Florida father is accused of killing his 6-month-old son, who died after suffering catastrophic head injuries, just a few months after he was arrested for allegedly using a leaf blower on the infant because he thought it was “funny.”

James Westervelt III is charged with one count each of first- and second-degree murder following a lengthy investigation into the August 2024 death of his infant son, court records show.

The murder charge comes after Westervelt was arrested in a separate child abuse case involving the same child. In that case, authorities uncovered a video showing Westervelt aiming a leaf blower at the then-2-month-old boy’s face, saying he did it because it was “funny,” Gainesville, Florida, ABC affiliate WCJB reported.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Marion County sheriff’s deputies responded to the family’s home on Aug. 12, 2024, after receiving a 911 call about an unresponsive infant. The baby was taken first to AdventHealth Ocala before being airlifted to AdventHealth Orlando, where doctors determined he had suffered injuries consistent with shaken baby syndrome. Four days later, after being removed from life support, the child died.

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An autopsy determined the infant died from hypoxic/ischemic encephalopathy caused by blunt head trauma, police said. The medical examiner also documented acute subdural and subarachnoid hemorrhages, severe traumatic axonal injury, retinal and optic nerve hemorrhages, cerebral edema and other injuries. The death was ruled a homicide.

Detectives said the child had been behaving normally before he was left alone with Westervelt on the morning of Aug. 12.

During his initial interview, Westervelt claimed he discovered his 2-year-old son sitting inside the baby’s bassinet after somehow opening a latched wooden safety gate. He said the toddler had been poking the infant in the head before he removed him and attempted to calm the crying baby.

Questioned about whether he may have rocked the infant too aggressively, Westervelt replied: “Not that I f—ing thought it was. It might have, but I don’t intentionally think.”

He added: “There’s not a time where I think I hurt that baby.”

When investigators told him the toddler’s actions could not reasonably explain the severity of the injuries, Westervelt allegedly began describing additional incidents, including the boy falling from bed and slipping while bathing.

In a later interview, Westervelt moved the timeline of another alleged fall to the night before the baby was found unresponsive and suggested the injuries may have been caused when the child’s grandmother tripped while carrying the already-unresponsive infant after the 911 call.

Those explanations continued to change throughout the investigation, authorities said.

According to the affidavit, Westervelt eventually admitted he and the child’s mother had smoked methamphetamine shortly before she left the home during the early morning hours of Aug. 12.

Investigators later asked him whether, while under the influence and trying to soothe the crying infant after removing him from the bassinet, he could have bounced the baby harder than he realized.

“It could have been,” Westervelt replied.

Asked whether the methamphetamine may have caused him to be “rougher than normal,” he answered, “It had to have been a little bit rougher.”

Westervelt then allegedly demonstrated for detectives how he bounced the infant. Investigators described the demonstration as a “rather vigorous” up-and-down motion, with Westervelt repeatedly driving the movement with his knees. He confirmed that was the amount of force he used while trying to calm the baby.

Westervelt said the infant stopped crying after approximately 15 seconds of bouncing. When he placed him back into the bassinet, the baby made what he described as a strange breathing noise before closing his eyes. About 10 minutes later, the child’s mother found him limp and unresponsive.

The investigation also uncovered what investigators believe is evidence of a motive.

Multiple witnesses told detectives Westervelt treated the infant differently than his other children because he knew there was a possibility the child was not biologically his. The affidavit states the baby’s mother had previously admitted having an affair with another man while Westervelt was incarcerated. Detectives later confirmed after the child’s death that Westervelt was not the biological father.

A family friend told investigators she noticed Westervelt was “less attentive” toward the infant than his other children and believed it was because he was angry over the affair. The child’s maternal grandmother similarly said Westervelt showed “no love or affection” toward the baby.

Investigators also noted that Westervelt had previously served as a stay-at-home father for his older children without similar incidents. By contrast, detectives wrote, the 6-month-old suffered at least four separate injuries while alone in Westervelt’s care during his short life.

“The injuries the victim sustained were not accidental; they were significant, and by their nature, the result of a purposeful and intentional act,” the affidavit states. Investigators further wrote that it was “unreasonable” to conclude the injuries had been caused by the toddler, a fall from a bed or the bathroom incident described by Westervelt.

The affidavit also cites monitored jail phone calls in which Westervelt discussed the deterioration of his relationship with the child’s mother after the baby’s death.

“I think that’s how I rubbed Stephanie the wrong way,” he allegedly said. “I always told her, if you never f—ing cheated on me, none of this would have ever happened.”

Westervelt is scheduled to appear in court again on Sept. 3, according to court records.

The post ‘If you never f—ing cheated on me’: Dad used leaf blower on infant before fatal beating, blamed the mom’s infidelity, police say first appeared on Law & Crime.