Even though his small hands couldn’t conceal his crying eyes, a child witness managed to testify against his mother, stating that “mama got mad” and “dunked” his sister, who was seven years old, in the pool. After remaining silent for 17 years, 24-year-old A.J. Hutto is finally speaking up about his court appearances as a youngster, claiming that his mother, Amanda Lewis, is “100% guilty.”
When a young child spoke up in 2008 to reveal an unimaginable truth, it rocked a silent Florida courtroom.
A.J. Hutto, whose new identity is kept private, was not quite aware of the legal ramifications of his actions. All he was doing was being honest and attempting to make sense of something he shouldn’t have had to see.
Wearing a white button-up shirt, a black knit sweater and light-colored trousers, the 7-year-old boy revealed in tragic detail how he witnessed his sister Adrianna Hutto drown in their backyard pool.
Once A.J. told the authorities that his mother, Amanda Lewis, had killed his sister, the tragedy was initially thought to be an accidental drowning.
Lewis’ rendition
Lewis, a nurse’s aide who works night shifts at a nearby nursing home, came home on August 8, 2007, and as the children watched cartoons, he had a little nap.
The basic plan was to take a short break before heading “to shop for back-to-school supplies,” according to Lewis, who was 27 at the time.
According to an ABC article from 2010, the children pleaded to cool off in the 4-foot-deep above-ground pool, which the mother claimed was completely off-limits without an adult present, as the sun rose higher and the temperature surged above 100 degrees.
We were almost ready to go, so I informed them that we couldn’t enter the pool today. They wanted to spend some time playing outside while I prepared everything, she explained.
A.J., Lewis’s 6-year-old son, returned inside the house a short while later and informed his mother, “Mama, Adrianna is in the pool.”
I initially assumed he meant that she might be by the pool, so I answered, “Okay, well, tell her to come in.”
“Raking in the water with his hand, like he was trying to grab [Adrianna]” was what Lewis saw when she peered out the rear door.
Lewis remarked, “I ran out of the house, ran out.” She was face down in the water when I arrived. She had a really blue and purple complexion.
The young girl passed away after being transported to the hospital.
When a doctor informed her that Adrianna was dead, Lewis recalled, “I hugged her, I kissed her.” I made contact with her. for the simple reason that I knew it would be my last encounter with her. At that moment, I realised my baby was gone.
When the girl drowned, the authorities initially thought it was an accident.
The version of A.J.
When 7-year-old A.J. appeared before a courtroom full of strangers six months later, he had no idea that his mother’s future was in his small hands.
Mom drenched my sister. “She did something she shouldn’t have done, so my mum got upset and threw her in the pool,” the young boy stated previously in a police interview.
One stick figure was adjacent to the pool, another was floating over it, and he was standing a few feet away near a tree in the picture that A.J. drew in court.
He said, “playing,” in a tree when the prosecutors enquired what he was doing.
Then the pool asked him about the numbers.
In the court video that was circulated, he said, “Mama.”
He responded, “Killing my sister,” when questioned about his mother’s behaviour in his drawing.
How does she manage to achieve that? Someone asked A.J.
The youngster informed the court, “She put her hand over her face,” with a matter-of-fact tone that struck people in the heart.
The words “She did” and “too bad,” which A.J. explained meant his sister “died” and that it was “scary,” were also written on the left side of the sketch.
Lewis was convicted by the jury of first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse. She received a sentence of life in jail without the chance of release.
“Word for word.”
Far from the spotlight, A.J. started a new chapter after the trial.
After being adopted by a devoted couple, he was given a new name and discreetly faded from the public eye.
He has never talked openly about the incidents that permanently altered his life since that tragic occurrence.
Up until now.
The 24-year-old, who is currently a firefighter, told the Daily Mail that he was not “coached or anything like that” for the trial and that he didn’t realise until “later on in my teenage years” that his mother’s fate was decided by his evidence.
“I simply told them exactly what I saw, word for word,” A.J. stated, adding that he was “really, really nervous…” as a child. You know, all those people staring at you. But I was simply relieved that it was ended.
Shadows
A.J. talked about his early years spent with Lewis and his sister, describing it as “just darkness, trauma.” lots of mistreatment. Adrianna and I were physically assaulted.
When I told a judge that my mother drowned my sister when I was seven years old, I became viral. My quiet will come to an end after 17 years: https://t.co/3ki6AN2GeD pic.twitter.com/eSz0RJ3qju
— Daily Mail US, April 6, 2025 (@DailyMail)
He remarked, “I kind of remember some things about my previous life because it’s been a long time since I’ve had to talk about it.” He also mentioned how happy and loving life was with his new family, describing it as a “360 difference.”
Additionally, I largely recall the abuse. At times, we wouldn’t even anticipate it. About him and his “best friend,” Adrianna, he remarked, “It was literally at times we were blindsided.”
Since testifying, A.J. has not seen his mother: “It is court-appointed that we cannot see one other, and I have wanted to maintain it that way, just so nothing’s brought up again. He remarked, “all the feelings and emotions and the traumas are being brought back into light.”
“That was heartbreaking,” he added. She is, you know, my mother. However, there was also a sense of relief that the times we were going through were finally coming to a conclusion.
How does this well-known case involving a child testifying against his mother remind you? Kindly share this tale and then let us know what you think so we can start a discussion!
