Seventeen Years Later: A Mother's Murder Case Reopened
In a dramatic legal development, Amanda Lewis's first-degree murder conviction has been reopened after 17 years behind bars. The case, which originally hinged on the emotional testimony of her then seven-year-old son AJ Hutto, is now under fresh scrutiny as a judge considers post-conviction relief.
The Original Trial and Controversial Testimony
The case dates back to August 8, 2007, when seven-year-old Adrianna Hutto drowned in an above-ground pool at the family's modest home in Esto, Florida. Initially treated as a tragic accident by authorities, the investigation took a dramatic turn when Adrianna's brother AJ, then aged six, told police in a videotaped interview: 'Mama dunked my sister.'
During the tense 2008 trial in Bonifay, Florida, AJ became the prosecution's star witness. The neatly dressed young boy, wearing a white button shirt and black knit vest, provided heartbreaking testimony that ultimately convinced the jury. The decisive moment came when prosecutor Larry Basford asked AJ to explain a drawing he'd made depicting stick figures around the pool.
'That's my momma,' the child stated. 'Killing my sister.' When asked how Lewis was doing this, he replied: 'Putting her hand over her face.' The drawing showed Lewis outside the 4ft-deep pool with a thick line representing her arm reaching toward Adrianna inside the water.
New Developments and Legal Challenges
Now, after 17 years of imprisonment at Homestead Correctional Institution for Women, Lewis's case has taken an unexpected turn. A judge has been assigned to consider a motion of 'post-conviction relief' filed by her pro bono attorney Natalie Figgers to the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit Court in Holmes County.
Lewis's legal team, including attorney Colin Miller, has raised four significant grounds for relief. These allegations include: the improper dismissal of a competent juror, the judge removing this juror without Lewis's presence or approval, a second juror failing to disclose overhearing prejudicial comments from police, and that same juror being only 17 years old at the time of trial.
Colin Miller emphasised the significance of these claims, stating: 'If the court finds for Amanda on any of these four issues, her convictions will be thrown out.'
Conflicting Narratives and Lasting Impact
Lewis has consistently maintained that Adrianna's death was accidental, claiming the child slipped and fell into the pool while attempting to clean bugs from it. She described coming home from her night shift, napping while the children watched cartoons, and then discovering the tragedy when AJ alerted her that Adrianna was in the pool.
Meanwhile, AJ Hutto, now a 24-year-old married firefighter, recently broke his silence in an interview with the Daily Mail. When asked if his mother was guilty, he stated unequivocally: 'One hundred percent guilty. I stand by every word I said.' He described his childhood with Lewis as marked by 'darkness, trauma, a lot of abuse' and recalled his relationship with Adrianna simply as: 'We were best friends.'
The case continues to divide opinion, with campaigners arguing that Lewis was victimised by 'limited resources, flawed assumptions and trauma-distorted narratives.' As the legal process unfolds, the outcome could see Lewis's first-degree murder conviction quashed, potentially leading to a retrial or even case dismissal after nearly two decades behind bars.
