“She Dunked My Sister”: The Boy Who Testified Against His Mother—and Changed Everything
The courtroom was still, but the words of a 7-year-old boy pierced through the silence. Dressed in a white shirt and knit vest, A.J. Hutto sat on the witness stand in a Florida courtroom in 2008, hands too small to hide the tears in his eyes. But his voice was clear. Strong. Honest.
“Mama got mad,” he said.
“She dunked my sister in the pool.”
That heartbreaking moment would alter the course of his life forever—and send his mother, Amanda Lewis, to prison for the rest of hers.
Seventeen years later, A.J., now 24 and working as a firefighter, is finally speaking out again. Reflecting on that day, he says without hesitation:
“She’s 100% guilty.”
At the time, A.J. barely understood the weight of what he was doing. He was a little boy telling the truth, trying to make sense of a tragedy that had first been called an accident—but would soon be exposed as something far darker.
A Tragedy in the Florida Heat
It was August 2007. Amanda Lewis, then 27, had just come home from a night shift as a nurse’s assistant. She planned to nap before taking her two children—Adrianna and A.J.—school shopping. When the kids asked to play outside, she agreed, reminding them the backyard pool was off-limits without an adult.
Minutes later, A.J. ran back inside and said something chilling:
“Mama, Adrianna is in the pool.”
At first, Lewis thought her daughter was just playing nearby. But when she looked outside, she saw A.J. frantically reaching into the water. She ran out and found 7-year-old Adrianna floating face-down, blue and unresponsive. Though she was airlifted to the hospital, it was too late.
Lewis later said she kissed her daughter goodbye, whispering, “I knew right then my baby was gone.”
At first, authorities believed it was a tragic accident. But then A.J. spoke.
A Child’s Testimony That Shook a Courtroom
With calm but unsettling clarity, A.J. told investigators that Adrianna had gotten in trouble that day—and their mother snapped. He said she threw Adrianna into the pool, held her underwater, and pressed her hand over her face.
He even drew a picture for the jury. One stick figure stood by the pool, another floated in it. He labeled it simply:
“She did” and “Too bad.”
It wasn’t just what he said—it was how he said it. Honest. Direct. The courtroom was stunned.
That testimony helped convict Amanda Lewis of first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse. She was sentenced to life in prison without parole. And A.J., the boy who told the truth when no one else could, faded from public view—until now.
A Voice Reclaimed, 17 Years Later
Speaking with The Daily Mail, A.J. reflected on what he lived through.
“I wasn’t coached. I just told them what I saw, word for word,” he said. “I was nervous… but relieved it was over.”
He remembers the abuse. The unpredictability. The fear. And the pain of losing his sister—his best friend. But life with his adoptive family was different: safe, stable, filled with love.
“Sometimes we didn’t even see it coming,” he said.
“We were blindsided.”
A.J. has never seen his mother again. The courts prohibit contact—and he prefers it that way.
“I don’t want those emotions and traumas brought back up,” he said.
“It was heartbreaking. She’s my mother. But there was also relief—it meant the abuse was finally over.”
Remembering Adrianna, Reclaiming the Past
Seventeen years after that awful day, A.J. is using his voice again—not just to relive trauma, but to honor the sister he lost and the truth he stood up for.
He’s not seeking sympathy. Just understanding.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve talked about it,” he said.
“But I remember everything.”
His story is a reminder of how powerful truth can be—even when spoken by a child. And how sometimes, doing the right thing comes at an unimaginable cost.
If this story moved you, share it.
Let’s keep the conversation going—for Adrianna, for A.J., and for every child who needs to be heard.
