Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing.
The mother of the seven-year-old boy who testified against her over the murder of his sister once shared her sobering response to his court appearance.
In February of 2008, AJ Hutto took to the stand when his mum, Amanda E. Lewis, was on trial for first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse of his older half-sister, Adrianna.
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The prior August, Adrianna was found unresponsive in her family's pool in Esto, Florida, prompting Lewis to call 911, claiming she had found her daughter in the pool and she was not breathing.
In a 911 recording Lewis - who claimed she gave her daughter, who was seven at the time, CPR - was heard saying: "Send an ambulance please. My daughter fell in the pool and she's not breathing."
"Her lips are purple, what do I do? Water’s just coming out of her nose," she pleaded, per the Daily Record.
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Authorities made it to the house 'within minutes' before rushing little Adrianna to a nearby hospital where she was tragically pronounced dead about an hour after arrival.
Adrianna's untimely death was initially treated as an accident until AJ revealed in a videotaped interview with police what he saw that fateful day.
He later testified against his own mother which eventually saw Lewis convicted of murder and sentenced to life in jail, with an extra 30 years for child abuse in 2008.
AJ told police that he witnessed his mum 'dunk' Adrianna in the pool as punishment for misbehaving.
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"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," he said.
When the case went to court, the prosecutor asked the child to explain why he had drawn a picture of stick figures around the pool to which AJ replied: "That's my mama. Killing my sister."
He added that his mum was 'putting her hand over her [Adrianna's] face'.
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Lewis has maintained her innocence since the trial and made an appearance on Piers Morgan's ITV series, Killer Women, in 2016.
"Did you kill Adrianna?" Morgan asked to which Lewis shook her head and claimed: "No I did not."
In the segment, she claimed she 'couldn't believe they were doing this' when her son testified against her in court, adding per the Independent: "I love him no matter what, I will always love him.
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"He is in no way blame him for what happened."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, 10am-8pm Monday to Friday. If you are a child seeking advice and support, call Childline for free on 0800 1111, 24/7.
Rhiannon Ingle