Major update in case that saw boy tell court his mum drowned sister when he was seven
Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing.
There has been a significant update in the case that saw a young boy testify against his mother, claiming she had drowned his sister.
AJ Hutto was just seven when took to the stand in a US courtroom to share some harrowing details of his half-sister's tragic death.
Adrianna Hutto was also seven when she was found face-down in the family's swimming pool in Florida, something which was initially thought to have been a horrific accident.
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Her mother, Amanda Lewis, had called 911 and claimed that she found her daughter, seven, lying 'face down' in the pool, later telling the TV show 20/20: "She was very purple, very blue."
"[AJ] was raking in the water with his hand, like he was trying to grab her," Lewis said, as per ABC. "I ran out, ran out of the house. When I got to the pool...she was face down."
After she was pronounced dead in hospital around an hour after being discovered, an investigation was launched which soon turned sinister when her son AJ said he'd seen his mother 'dunk' Adrianna underwater.
"Mama dunked my sister," AJ said. "She done some stuff that she ain't suppose so my mama got mad, so she throwed [sic] her in the pool."
She subsequently faced charges of first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse and was ultimately sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, with an additional 30 years for aggravated child abuse.
However, conflicting accounts have now come to light which may well see Amanda's case thrown out by a judge, which could potentially see her released from prison after nearly two decades behind bars.
The Florida murder conviction has now officially been reopened following renewed claims that she was wrongfully convicted after her daughter's death.
Amanda has always pleaded her innocence, even appearing on an ITV show with Piers Morgan to do so.
As per Court TV, a judge has now been assigned to review a post-conviction relief motion which was filed on Lewis' behalf, following years of campaigning by legal advocates.
Lewis' legal team has claimed that she had her constitutional rights violated during the original trial, with attorney Colin Miller suggesting that there were four key issues.
These include the removal of a juror deemed competent, juror misconduct, and claims that one juror was underage at the time of trial.
“If the court finds in Amanda’s favour on any one of these issues, her convictions will be thrown out,” Miller said.
Her conviction could be overturned or a re-trial ordered.
This come after AJ, who is now 24, spoke out this year after 17 years of silence in an interview with the Daily Mail on the condition they kept his new identity a secret.
He said: "I stand by every word I said. I just told them exactly what I saw word for word."
He said of the moment he took the stand: "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."
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.
James Moorhouse