A 24-year-old man known during childhood as AJ Hutto has spoken publicly about a case that began when he was just six years old and testified that he saw his mother, Amanda Lewis, drown his seven-year-old half-sister Adrianna in a Florida pool in 2007.
Lewis initially claimed the girl had accidentally fallen into the water, but AJ’s testimony became central to the prosecution, and she was convicted of first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse in 2008 and sentenced to life without parole.
Now, 17 years later, AJ says he simply told investigators and the court what he remembered seeing, denies that he was coached, and says he has had no contact with his mother since the trial because of court restrictions and his desire to avoid reopening the trauma.
