When seven-year-old AJ Hutto took the witness stand in a Florida courtroom in 2008, his testimony stunned everyone listening.

In a clear, unwavering voice, he accused his own mother of killing his sister. According to AJ, his mother had drowned seven-year-old Adrianna Elaine Hutto in the family’s swimming pool.

That testimony became the backbone of the prosecution’s case—and ultimately sent Amanda Lewis to prison for life.

Seventeen years later, the case built almost entirely on a child’s words is no longer considered settled.

In December 2025, a Florida judge was formally assigned to review a long-pending post-conviction relief motion in Lewis’ case. The decision reopened legal scrutiny of the controversial murder conviction that has kept her incarcerated for nearly two decades. The renewed review follows years of legal efforts by Lewis’ defense team and growing public attention—while AJ, now 24, continues to publicly stand by what he said as a child.

The drowning that became a murder case

On August 8, 2007, Adrianna Elaine Hutto was found unresponsive in the swimming pool outside the family’s home in Esto, Florida. Her mother, Amanda Lewis, called 911, telling emergency operators that she had discovered her daughter face down in the water.

“She was very purple, very blue,” Lewis later recalled during an interview with 20/20, according to ABC News. She also described her son’s reaction at the scene, saying AJ was “raking in the water with his hand, like he was trying to grab her.”

Adrianna was rushed to hospital but pronounced dead roughly an hour later. At first, investigators believed the tragedy may have been a devastating accident. That assumption shifted dramatically after police spoke with AJ.

In a recorded interview, the boy told investigators: “Mama dunked my sister. She done some stuff that she ain’t suppose so my mama got mad, so she throwed her in the pool.”

Based largely on that statement, Lewis was arrested the following month and charged with first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse.

A trial shaped by a child’s testimony

The prosecution’s case rested heavily on AJ’s account. Before trial, Judge Allen Register ruled the seven-year-old competent to testify. In court, AJ described what he said he had witnessed on the day his sister died.

Jurors were shown a drawing AJ had made depicting stick figures near the pool. When asked to explain it, he said plainly: “That’s my mama. Killing my sister.” He added that Lewis was “putting her hand over her face.”

In 2008, the jury found Amanda Lewis guilty. She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, along with an additional 30 years for aggravated child abuse.

A conviction under renewed scrutiny

Lewis has consistently maintained her innocence. Her first appeal was denied in 2010. Years later, in 2016, she appeared on Piers Morgan’s ITV series Killer Women, where she insisted she wanted to prove “what he said I didn’t do.”

In December 2025, the case entered a critical new phase. According to Court TV, a judge was appointed to review a post-conviction relief motion filed on Lewis’ behalf. Her attorneys argue that serious constitutional violations occurred during the original trial.

Defense attorney Colin Miller outlined four major claims, including the removal of a juror who had been deemed competent, allegations of juror misconduct, and assertions that one juror was underage at the time of deliberations.

“If the court finds in Amanda’s favor on any one of these issues, her convictions will be thrown out,” Miller said. Depending on the findings, the court could overturn the conviction entirely or order a new trial.

AJ speaks—17 years later

The renewed legal review coincided with AJ’s first public comments since the trial. Earlier this year, he spoke to the Daily Mail on the condition that his current identity remain private.

“I stand by every word I said,” he told the newspaper. “I just told them exactly what I saw, word for word.”

Reflecting on testifying against his mother, AJ described the experience as emotionally devastating. “It was heartbreaking,” he said. “She’s my mother. But there was also some relief that what we were going through at the time was finally coming to an end.”

AJ was later adopted by another family. Now 24, married, and working as a firefighter, he has described his life after the trial as completely different from his early childhood.

“My childhood with [Lewis] was… just darkness, trauma,” he said. “A lot of abuse. Physically abused—both Adrianna and I were hit.”

Despite the renewed legal challenges, AJ remains firm in his belief. He has said he believes his mother is “one hundred percent guilty.”

As the courts now re-examine alleged procedural failures nearly two decades after the verdict, the case remains defined by a single, haunting moment: a child describing what he said he saw—and a justice system being asked whether everything that followed was done the right way.