US2 min(s) read
Over 18 years after a young boy testified against his mother in a court case that pulled heartstrings across the world, the now-adult witness has spoken out about the day his mom killed his sister.
Amanda Lewis was found guilty in 2008 of murdering her seven-year-old daughter Adrianna in an above-ground swimming pool at the family’s home in Esto, a small town in Florida’s Panhandle.
The mother of two was convicted after her then-seven-year-old son, AJ Hutto, testified in court that he saw his mother deliberately drown his sister.
His emotional testimony, delivered in February 2008, became the cornerstone of the prosecution’s case.
During the trial, AJ presented a drawing depicting stick figures around the pool, identifying one as his mother killing his sister.
When prosecutor Larry Basford asked him to explain the stick figure drawing, the young boy muttered: “That’s my momma… killing my sister.”
He told the court Lewis held Adrianna underwater with her hand over her face while he watched from a nearby tree.
The jury found Lewis guilty of first-degree murder and child abuse, and she was sentenced to life without parole plus an additional 30 years.
In an interview with The Daily Mail, the now 24-year-old man shared his opinion on his mother’s conviction, almost two decades since he last saw her at the end of the trial.
When quizzed about whether he believes his biological mother did kill his older sister Adrianna, he simply responded: "One hundred per cent guilty".
Hutto, who now goes by a different, unknown identity, added: “I stand by every word I said.”
He has had no direct contact with 45-year-old Lewis and refuses to refer to her as his mother, calling her Amanda instead.
He has not attempted to reconnect with his mother, telling the Daily Mail: “I’ve wanted to keep it that way, so that nothing’s getting brought back up. All the feelings and emotions and the traumas getting brought into light.”
In lighter news, he is now married and a qualified firefighter. However, according to the young man, his parents-in-law and emergency service colleagues are unaware of his heart-wrenching childhood.
