Heartbreaking six words little boy uttered as he testified against own mum for sister’s murder
Topics: Crime, US News, True Crime
Rhiannon Ingle
Featured Image Credit: ITV
Topics: Crime, US News, True Crime
Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing.
The case of seven-year-old Adrianna Elaine Hutto's untimely murder shocked the world when it first hit headlines back in 2008.
In February of that year, then-seven-year-old 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.
In August 2007, 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.
Advert
Authorities rushed little Adrianna to a nearby hospital where she was later pronounced dead about an hour after arrival.
Her tragic passing was initially treated as an accident until AJ revealed in a videotaped interview with police what he saw that fateful day, as he uttered six heartbreaking words as he testified against his own mother.
AJ told police that he witnessed his mum 'dunk' Adrianna in the pool as punishment for misbehaving.
"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 eerily issued his six-word response: "That's my mama. Killing my sister."
He added that his mum was 'putting her hand over her [Adrianna's] face'.
And now, 17 years years later, AJ has looked back on the proceedings which saw his mother eventually convicted of murder and sentenced to life in jail, with an extra 30 years for child abuse in 2008, as per the Daily Record.
Lewis, however, has since maintained her innocence.
AJ told the Daily Mail on Sunday (6 April): "I don't believe I was, what they've called, coached or anything like that.
"I just told them exactly what I saw word for word."
At first, AJ explained that he didn't notice his mum in court after being separated from her for a number of months, continuing: "It was heartbreaking. You know, she's my mother.
"But there was also some relief that what we were going through at the time was finally coming to an end."
When reflecting on his childhood, he said he remembered it as 'just darkness' with trauma and 'a lot of abuse', adding that both he and Adrianna were 'hit' and 'physically abused' as kids.
"The difference between the two families was night and day," he added when comparing his adoptive family to his relationship with his biological mother.
"It's been a long time since I've had to talk about it, so I kind of remember some things about my previous life.
"And for the most part, I remember the abuse. Sometimes we wouldn't even see it coming. It was literally sometimes we were blindsided."
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.