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AJ Hutto was just seven years old when he took the stand in a Florida courtroom and accused his mother, Amanda Lewis, of drowning his sister, Adrianna Hutto, in the family's swimming pool. The dramatic testimony shocked the court and the nation in 2008, leading to Lewis’s conviction for first-degree murder.
Now, nearly two decades later, AJ—now 24 and living under a protected identity—has spoken publicly for the first time since the trial. The case dates back to August 2007, when Lewis called 911, claiming that her seven-year-old daughter had accidentally fallen into the backyard pool at their home in Esto, a small town in Holmes County, Florida. Adrianna was unresponsive when first responders arrived and was later pronounced dead at a local hospital. Initially treated as a tragic accident, the case took a dramatic turn after AJ gave a detailed account to police in a videotaped interview. He claimed his mother was angry at Adrianna for spraying glass cleaner and punished her by holding her underwater.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, he stood by his original testimony, saying: "One hundred per cent guilty. I stand by every word I said."
"Mama dunked my sister," AJ told police at the time. His account included specific details, such as seeing his mother covering Adrianna’s face. His statements were later corroborated by an autopsy report, which noted bruises on Adrianna's face resembling the outline of a handprint, inconsistent with accidental drowning.
In court, AJ was ruled a competent witness by Judge Allen Register. His testimony, including a crayon drawing he made of the incident, was used by the prosecution to argue that he had witnessed the murder. The drawing depicted three figures around the pool and included phrases such as “She Did” and “To Bad,” which AJ explained as meaning “she died” and “it was scary.”
Amanda Lewis has consistently denied the allegations, maintaining that Adrianna’s death was accidental. She claimed she found her daughter face-down and unresponsive in the pool. Despite this, she was convicted of first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse. She is currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole plus 30 years at Homestead Correctional Institution for Women in southern Florida.
In his recent interview, AJ, who was adopted after the trial and has since become a firefighter, said he has had no contact with Lewis since her conviction and refers to her only by name, not as his mother. “There was just darkness, trauma, and a lot of abuse,” he said, describing his early life with Lewis.
“Physically abused, both Adrianna and I were hit,” he claimed. He contrasted his childhood in Lewis’s home with the stability and care of his adoptive family, calling the difference “night and day.”
He also rejected the claims from critics at the time of the trial that he had been coached or led by prosecutors. “I don't believe I was, what they've called, coached or anything like that. I just told them exactly what I saw word for word,” he said.
The case remains controversial among some legal experts and campaigners who have raised concerns over the reliability of AJ’s childhood testimony and the emotional weight it carried in the courtroom. Critics pointed to moments of inconsistency in his statements, though prosecutors insisted his recollection was both vivid and credible.
According to the Daily Mail, Lewis has recently appointed a new attorney in an effort to reopen her case. From prison, she continues to maintain her innocence and reportedly passed a polygraph test, which she and her legal team hope may support her appeal. She has also refused a prior plea deal that would have seen her serve just 10 years for manslaughter.
English (US) · 