Though his little hands were too small to fully cover his tear-streaked face, a young boy found the courage to tell the truth about what he had witnessed—a moment that would change his life forever. At just seven years old, A.J. Hutto stood in a Florida courtroom and described, in painful detail, how his mother, Amanda Lewis, drowned his sister. Seventeen years later, A.J., now 24, is finally breaking his silence. He stands by the words he spoke as a child, maintaining that his mother is “100% guilty.”

In 2008, inside a quiet courtroom in Florida, the world heard the heartbreaking testimony of a child caught in the middle of a nightmare. A.J. Hutto—whose name has since been changed to protect his privacy—was just a boy who had witnessed something no child ever should. He didn’t fully understand the legal implications of his words. He was simply speaking his truth, trying to make sense of a trauma that had scarred him.

Wearing a crisp white shirt, a black sweater vest, and light-colored pants, A.J. recounted the moment he saw his sister, Adrianna, drown in the family’s backyard pool. What was first considered a tragic accident soon unraveled into something far more chilling. A.J. told the police that it wasn’t an accident—his mother had done it.

On August 8, 2007, Amanda Lewis, a 27-year-old nurse’s assistant, came home from a night shift at a nursing home and planned to rest briefly before taking her children back-to-school shopping. It was a scorching day in Florida, with temperatures rising above 100 degrees. According to Lewis, she told her children they couldn’t use the pool that day—it was off-limits unless an adult was present. She said they could go outside and play while she got everything ready for their shopping trip.

But soon after, Lewis said her son A.J. came back inside and said something that made her heart sink: “Mama, Adrianna is in the pool.” At first, she assumed he meant Adrianna was just nearby. “Okay, well, tell her to come in,” she recalled saying. Then she looked outside and saw A.J. reaching into the pool, trying to grab his sister. That’s when panic took over.

I went viral for telling a court aged 7 that my mom drowned my sister. I’m ending my silence 17 years later https://t.co/3ki6AN2GeD pic.twitter.com/eSz0RJ3qju

— Daily Mail US (@Daily_MailUS) April 6, 2025

“I ran out of the house,” she said. “When I got to the pool…she was face down…very purple, very blue.” Adrianna was airlifted to a nearby hospital, but it was too late. She died that day. Lewis recalled the moment she was told her daughter had passed: “I kissed her, I hugged her, I touched her. I knew it would be the last time. I knew she was gone.”

Initially, investigators believed it was a tragic accident. But six months later, everything changed when A.J. took the stand. In a courtroom full of strangers, this small boy with a trembling voice told the truth that would ultimately convict his own mother. “Mama dunked my sister,” he told the police during a recorded interview. “She done some stuff that she ain’t supposed to…my mama got mad, so she throwed her in the pool.”

In court, A.J. was asked to draw what he saw. His picture showed one stick figure standing by the pool, another floating inside it, and himself standing near a tree. When asked who the figure by the pool was, he simply answered, “Mama.” And when asked what she was doing, he said, “Killing my sister.” The room fell silent. When prosecutors pressed further, A.J. said she put her hand over Adrianna’s face. It was simple, direct, and utterly devastating.

He had written two phrases on his drawing: “She did” and “too bad.” When asked what they meant, he explained that his sister had died, and it was scary. That testimony was enough. Amanda Lewis was found guilty of first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse. She was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole.

After the trial, A.J.’s life changed dramatically. He was adopted by a loving family, given a new name, and disappeared from public view. He never spoke about what happened again—until now.

Now 24 years old and working as a firefighter, A.J. recently opened up in an interview with the Daily Mail. He made it clear that no one coached him for his testimony. “I just told them exactly what I saw, word for word,” he said. “As a kid, I was really, really nervous. Having all those people looking at you…it was a lot. But I was glad it was over.”

He described his early life with Adrianna and their mother as one filled with darkness. “There was a lot of trauma. A lot of abuse. We were both physically abused,” he shared. “Sometimes we wouldn’t even see it coming. It was like being blindsided.”

Despite the years that have passed, A.J. still remembers his sister vividly. She was his “best friend.” Life with his adoptive family has been the opposite of what he knew before—loving, supportive, and safe. “It’s been a 360 difference,” he said.

He hasn’t seen his mother since the trial. The court forbids any contact, and he’s chosen to respect that boundary. “I’ve wanted to keep it that way. I don’t want to bring back those feelings, those traumas,” he said. Still, the emotions are complicated. “It was heartbreaking. She’s my mother. But there was also a sense of relief. What we were going through finally came to an end.”

This haunting story serves as a sobering reminder of the impact abuse can have on children and the incredible strength it takes to speak out—especially against someone you love. A.J. Hutto’s story is one of pain, courage, and ultimately, survival. Now a grown man, he’s using his voice again—not to convict, but perhaps to heal.