She sits at the defense table, face drained of color, dark circles carved deep under her eyes, like someone bracing for news they know will destroy them. She had convinced herself the jury would see the truth. Her lawyers painted her as a devastated single mother who’d lost her daughter in a tragic accident.

A drowning that happened in seconds, they claimed a mother who tried everything to save her child. >> My daughter filling the pool and she’s not breathing. Her lips are purple. What do I do, >> ma’am? >> Huh? Water just coming out her nose. >> Does she have a fault, ma’am? No, she’s not got nothing. She is purple.

>> The jury was listening, but then the prosecution called their key witness. Her son, a six-year-old boy, and everything changed. >> How did you find her in the pool? Could you see in the pool? >> I had in my wagon. >> Who is this? Or what is this? >> My mama. >> And what is she doing? >> Killing my sister.

 Adrian was trying to escape from mama. And then mama pulled her back in the car. And then once they got back home, mama throw her back in the pool and then she started drowning again. >> What you’re about to see is the moment Amanda Lewis realized her accidental drowning story couldn’t compete with what her own child witnessed.

 The moment she understood she wasn’t going home. Not that day. Not for decades. Her daughter was dead. Her son was testifying against her. And the proof of what really happened on August 8th, 2007 was about to come from the one person who saw it all. This is the chilling case of the nurse’s assistant who turned a summer afternoon into a death scene in her own backyard.

 And every single detail I’m about to show you has been verified through court records, trial testimony, and police reports. If you’ve never heard this story before, prepare yourself because what happened in Esto, Florida will challenge everything you think you know about child witnesses, drowning investigations, and how a mother’s fate can rest entirely on the words of a traumatized 6-year-old boy.

There was something prosecutors discovered during their investigation that would prove crucial to understanding what really happened in that backyard pool. Something AJ told his grandparents within hours of his sister’s death that would transform an accident into a murder case. August 8th, 2007 started like most summer mornings in Esto, a town of less than 400 people in the Florida panhandle.

 Amanda Lewis, 27 years old, had just finished her graveyard shift at Bonaf Nursing Home. She walked through the door exhausted, ready for sleep. Her two children were already awake. 7-year-old Adriana Ela Huau and her six-year-old half-brother AJ were watching cartoons. Amanda needed rest. She’d planned to take them shopping for school supplies later that afternoon, but when she woke up, the children wanted something different.

 It was early August. Temperatures had exceeded 100°. They wanted to swim in the backyard pool. Amanda said no. They had plans. She told them to go outside and play while she switched the clothes in the laundry machine. In the yard set a 4ft deep above ground pool. The children knew the rules. Without Amanda supervising, the pool was off limits.

She’d even locked the ladder in the shed. But here’s what destroyed those careful precautions. AJ suddenly burst into the house. He was yelling about Adriana being in the pool. Amanda assumed her daughter was just near the water. She told AJ to tell Adriana to get out. Then she looked through the back door.

 AJ was crouched beside the pool, reaching into the water with his hands, trying to grab something. When Amanda ran outside, Adriana was face down in the water, unconscious. Amanda pulled her daughter from the pool and began CPR. When that didn’t work, she made the 911 call that would change everything around 2:39 p.m. >> 911. I need the ambulance, please.

>> 911. >> I need an ambulance. >> What’s wrong, ma’am? My daughter fell in the pole when she’s not breathing. >> Where at, ma’am? >> In Esto. >> Ma’am, what’s your address? >> 3343 First Avenue South. >> 3343 First Avenue South. >> Yes. Down the road from the post office at the very end. >> What’s your phone number, ma’am? >> 8502630759.

>> And she’s not breathing. How old is she? >> She’s 7 years old. >> All right, hang on just a second, ma’am. >> Oh god. >> Just a second, ma’am. >> Her lips are purple. What do I do? >> Ma’am, >> water’s just coming out of her nose. >> Ma’am, >> huh? >> You said water’s coming out of her nose. >> Yes, I’ve got her on her side and she’s coming out of her nose every time I move her.

>> Okay, hang on just a second. >> Please hurry. >> Rescue. >> Yes, ma’am. I’ve got them on the way. I’m going to see if they can do something to help you. Hang on just a moment. >> Does she have a fault, ma’am? >> No, she’s not got nothing. She is purple. >> She don’t Hang on just a second. >> Everything’s purple.

 Emergency personnel arrived almost immediately. Adriana was airlifted to Bay Medical Hospital. For more than an hour, doctors fought to save the 7-year-old girl. They succeeded briefly. They got a pulse, but her lungs were too water logged. At 5:05 p.m., Adriana Elaine Hutau was pronounced dead. Keep this detail in mind. It becomes critical later.

 Holmes County Fire Chief Charles Corkran called it another tragic drowning accident. Not uncommon for Florida. Holmes County Sheriff’s Office. Lieutenant Michael said there were no indicators of foul play, just a child who drowned in a pool. Authorities sympathized with Amanda, a single mother who just lost her daughter in the most traumatic way possible.

 But that was the side of the story Amanda wanted them to see. By the time police arrived, Amanda’s mother, Brenda Burns, and stepfather, Charles, Chuck Burns, were already there. After establishing their relationship to Amanda, officers allowed AJ to leave with his grandparents. That’s when everything began to unravel. Within hours of Adriana’s death, AJ told his grandparents something that would change the investigation forever.

 He claimed his sister hadn’t drowned accidentally. He said he’d seen his mother angrily drown Adriana herself. Shocked, Brenda and Chuck rushed AJ to the police station so he could make a statement. My sister, she wed me and sprayed something that make everything smell good and she didn’t do she done the stuff that she didn’t supposed to.

 So my mom got mad at him. So she throw him in the pool and then she told her to go somewhere and she said no cuz mom was going to dunk >> and then mom had to go get in the car to go get Adrian and then uh Adrien was trying to escape from mama and then mama pulled her back in the car and then once they got back home mama throw her back in the pool and then she started drowning again.

>> Adriana started drowning >> and then when she had to take a shower, mama told my mom told me to go get her. And then when I was standing in the wagon, she was dead. >> So you stood up in the wagon. Okay. Um, could your sister swim? >> She was out upside down in the pool. >> She was upside down when you found her.

>> When she landed or when you found her? >> When I found her. >> When you found her. >> The next day, police brought Amanda in for questioning. >> I told you uh briefly what AJ had said. I don’t know how to put this, but he he seems to believe that you drowned at her. >> Well, I don’t know why he would think that. I mean, I was even out there.

 I was in the house. >> Why would he accuse you of drowning your daughter? >> He does like to tell stories. I mean, he’s got a I don’t know if I’d say weird, but he does have a very big imagination. >> Mhm. What the defense didn’t know yet was how dramatically this case was about to shift for authorities.

 Adriiana’s death had changed from an accident to intentional murder. A search warrant was issued. What officers found at Amanda’s home was deeply disturbing. The children’s bedroom rire of urine. The smell hit investigators immediately. This was troubling. A dead child had been living in these conditions. The room was nearly empty. There were beds.

A little red wagon. Two inflatable pool toys are in the yard. But that was it. Two little toddlers shared this room. Neither of them was 8 years old. And yet, there wasn’t a single toy inside. When police questioned Amanda, she had an explanation. She’d seized the children’s toys and put them in the shed for a week as punishment.

 The same shed where she’d locked the pool ladder. But what happened next would crush her credibility with authorities. Officers searched the shed. There were no toys there at all. If Amanda had lied about that simple detail, what other truths was she hiding? Amanda’s story stayed the same. Adriana had slipped into the pool while trying to remove bugs from the water, but prosecutors were about to reveal something that would demolish that explanation.

 The following day, Amanda took a polygraph test. Surprisingly, she passed. That still wouldn’t be enough. Autopsy reports had come in, and what they claimed was damning. The autopsy showed multiple bruises on Adriana’s forehead. The medical examiner claimed they indicated a struggle as she was held underwater. By September 2007, a warrant was issued.

Amanda Lewis was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Before we go into the trial, there’s something you need to understand about Amanda’s past. Something prosecutors would use to paint a picture of her as a mother. When Amanda was only 17, she had a child named Alex. At just 16 months old, the baby died.

 The cause was listed as a seizure. Shortly after having Adriana, Amanda served a short stint in the US military. During those months, she was separated from her infant daughter. Adriana was diagnosed with ADHD and behavioral problems. That early separation only strained their relationship further. By 2005, Amanda and her children moved to Esto.

 She’d gotten into a relationship with a man named Allan, but they’d broken up by the time of Adriana’s death. Amanda was working as a nursing assistant, supporting her family alone. As for her relationship with the children, Amanda claimed there were no spankings or physical abuse, just timeouts and other punishments. But she’d loved them.

>> To me, my kids, they made my world. They made me a stronger person. They made me feel like I was everything that I was supposed to be. >> Mothering Adriana was a little difficult, but Amanda had grown into the job with time, eventually coming to love her. But there was one more piece prosecutors would use against her.

 AJ, now 24 years old and working as a firefighter, told reporters that growing up was just darkness, trauma, a lot of abuse. According to AJ, Adriana suffered the most because of her behavioral issues. And that day, it seemed like she’d had it coming. The state had offered Amanda a plea deal, plead guilty to manslaughter, served 10 years, walk free eventually.

 According to Amanda’s lawyer, Walter Smith, she looked him directly in the eyes and said, “I did not kill my child, and I will not admit to doing something I did not do.” Amanda was going to the trial. That’s when the prosecution revealed its strongest piece of evidence. By February 2008, Amanda stood trial for the murder of her daughter.

 Her decision to reject the plea deal was about to look like a catastrophic mistake. The prosecution built its case piece by piece. Autopsy reports showed bruises on Adriana’s face consistent with a hand covering it, fingerprint-shaped marks on her forehead, cheeks, and chin. Then came the pool measurements. The pool was 4 ft deep. Adriana was 47 in tall.

 If she’d simply fallen in and not hit her head, she could have easily stood up. But the state had one more expert who would demolish Amanda’s accident claim. Kimberly Yates, Amanda’s coworker, testified that Amanda had said she was going to kill her when talking about Adriana and her hyperactivity. >> Toward the end of the school year last year, did there come uh was there one occasion, one morning that she brought the children in that stands out in your mind? >> Yes, sir.

 She came in um very very angry that morning. Um walked around the nursing station, come through the door, very frustrated, threw her hands up and she was like, “I’m going to kill her. I can’t take it anymore.” And one of the other nurses who was kind of sitting behind me. She put her hand up and she said, “Hang on, Amanda.

” She said, “You need to come with me. We need to go back here and talk.” >> Where were the children? >> Um Adriana was right behind her and she was crying. >> Um >> what did you do to Adriana that night? Well, the other nurse took Amanda back to the back and I took Adriana and I put her on my lap. She was crying and I asked her, I said, “What’s wrong?” She said, “Mommy, >> look.

 Well, >> can’t really get in to that.” Okay, that’s we got some evidentary rules here. >> Amanda might have said it in frustration in the heat of the moment. But now that same child was dead barely 4 months later. The jury remembered what they’d seen in that autopsy report. However, the most moving courtroom moment happened when Amanda’s son took the stand.

What did Adriana do that day? >> Nothing. >> Did she do anything to get in trouble that day? >> Yes, sir. >> What did she do, AJ? >> Spray some spray on the windows. >> Oh, yeah. Why was she doing that? >> I don’t know. >> Was she spraying any other spray that day? >> Yes. >> How did it smell? >> Awful. >> Awful. Okay.

 AJ hadn’t seen his mother since the day Adriana died. When he walked into the courtroom, he didn’t realize Amanda was there. >> Can you tell me what a lie is? >> It’s not the truth. >> Can you tell me what the truth is? >> It’s not a lie. >> Okay. Um, if I told you your mother was in the courtroom here today, would that be the truth? >> No.

 So, >> that would not be the truth. Why is that? Cuz she’s not in the courtroom. >> No, sir. >> Okay. So, your mother is not in this courtroom? >> No. So, >> okay. And you’re telling me that that is the truth that your mother is not in the courtroom? >> Yes. So, >> okay. Where is your mother? >> Jail. >> She’s in jail.

You don’t see her in this courtroom, do you? >> No. So, >> cuz she can’t be here. She’s in jail, isn’t she? >> Yes. So, >> it would be impossible for her to be here in the courtroom, wouldn’t it? >> So, >> he’d been living with his grandmother, Brenda, since that day. When AJ noticed his mother in the courtroom, he burst into tears.

>> That woman sitting right there between them, have you ever seen her before? Yes, sir. >> Who is that? >> My mother. >> Now you recognize your mother? >> Yes, sir. >> All right. >> Hey, James. Hey, [snorts] J. >> Yes, sir. >> Give me your hand. All right. >> [clears throat] >> But he still testified. >> When you drew this, did this help you explain what happened? Help you tell the story of what happened? >> Yes, sir. All right.

Now, look, [snorts] AJ, this this yellow one has some writing on it. Is that your writing? That little small writing? >> No. So, >> all right. But the big writing is yours. If we use this this diagram right here, that just has your writing on it. Did you do all of this and do all of this drawing? >> So, >> all right. [clears throat] Tell me, AJ.

What is this right here? >> My pool. >> Your pool? >> Yes, sir. >> The one that was in this picture that we just saw a few minutes ago. >> Yes, sir. >> All right. And who is this right here? >> Me. >> What are you doing, AJ? >> I’m just playing. >> All right. Were you playing with anything? >> Yes, sir. >> What were you playing with? >> That.

>> Okay. What’s that supposed to be? >> I can’t remember. >> Okay. You can’t remember? >> No. >> All right. What is this right here? >> A tree. >> Were you playing in the tree or around a tree? >> In the tree. >> In the tree. Okay. >> Now, what is this right here? Who is this or what is this? My mama. >> Okay.

 And what is she doing? >> Killing my sister. >> How is she doing that? AJ putting her hand over her face. >> Would you would you show me how she put her hand over your sister’s face? Huh? No. >> So, >> you don’t want to do that? >> No. So, >> okay. Who is this? >> My mother. >> And who is this? >> My sister. >> What is this right here? >> My mother’s arm.

>> Your mother’s arm. >> Yes, sir. >> Okay. What does this mean right here? She did. >> Die. >> What? >> She died. >> She died. Okay. You mean your sister died? Okay. What? is too bad. What does that mean? >> That means it’s scary. >> Was scary. When this was happening, could you see it? >> So, >> was that a yes or a no? >> Yes.

>> When prosecutors asked Dr. Fox about her autopsy findings, she placed her hand on her face in the same motion AJ had demonstrated. The bruises matched exactly. What you’re about to see is how the defense tried to fight back. Despite all the prosecution’s evidence, Amanda’s defense council raised serious concerns.

Some of them were quite reasonable. AJ was only six when his sister died. He was seven when testifying. The defense argued he wasn’t a credible witness. Amanda had told police that AJ, like most children his age, loved making up stories. It was very likely he was doing the same thing now.

 Over the course of questioning, AJ’s story changed 14 different times. The defense expert testified that children under 10 are rarely considered competent witnesses. Why was a 7-year-old the star witness in a murder trial? Then there was the drowning statistic defense. In Florida in 2007, there were 95 children under 14 who died by drowning.

 Florida leads the nation in unintentional drowning deaths. The evidence versus explanations couldn’t be more different. But the defense had its biggest issue with the autopsy itself. Dr. Charles Sibert, the medical examiner who performed Adriana’s autopsy, never testified in court. He’d been suspended prior to Amanda’s case.

Sebert had been found to engage in problematic practices that led to hundreds of flawed autopsies. His license was revoked. He fled Florida. In his absence, his administrative assistant, who had zero medical experience and prior perjury convictions, read his notes instead of his testimony.

 After the case, Sebert moved to New Jersey and performed as a clown and magician at children’s birthday parties. The defense also pointed to Amanda’s stepfather, Chuck. Amanda and Chuck had a tense relationship following Chuck’s unwanted sexual advances, which Amanda denied. Was this his revenge? The crime scene had been poorly handled.

 Since Adriiana’s death was initially ruled an accident, detectives didn’t collect evidence for multiple days. Family members reported removing picture frames, moving toys, and even deflating the pool. It was inflated again for photos, but never properly collected as evidence. All those text messages, the autopsy report, the witness testimony.

It all came down to this. Amanda would later give a testimony of her own. >> My name’s Amanda Lewis. >> How old are you, Miss Lewis? >> I’m now 29. >> 28? I’m sorry. >> Are you nervous? >> Yes. >> Have you been able to sleep? >> No, sir. >> You’ve been able to eat? >> No, sir. You heard the statement that was played here today.

 The statement that you gave the the police the day that this happened. >> Did you tell him the truth that day? >> Yes, sir. >> When you looked out and you saw AJ standing in that wagon, was there any water coming over the pool at that time? >> No, sir. There wasn’t. >> Did AJ get wet at all? >> No, sir. Did he have to change his clothes? >> No, sir.

>> When the police got there, was he wet? >> No, sir. >> When you got out there to your daughter, how how were you able to get her out of the pool? Were you able to do what what Alan Carling’s doing in this photo or something similar to that? >> I had to stand beside the pool and lean toward her. Did the pool collapse when you leaned against it? >> No, sir.

>> You see Alan Carney up there? Was that sort of what you were doing? Reaching into the pool? >> Yes, sir. >> And how were you able to grab onto Adriana? >> I was able to reach far enough to grab her foot. >> Okay. And how did you get her over the side of the pool? >> I pulled her to me and rolled her over and got her out. Okay.

>> Again, did the pool collapse when you did that? >> No, sir. And then what did you do once you got her out? >> I got her out and put her on the ground and tried to give her CPR. >> You said in your statement, “You’re not very good at CPR.” >> I took the class in my CNA certification, but I’ve never had to do it.

>> Now, we’ve heard testimony that they maybe you’re a strict mother. Do you think you’re a strict mother? >> I just tried to make them mine. >> Okay. And we’ve heard that Adriana was headstrong. Was she headstrong? >> Yes, sir. >> Did you have to take her to a doctor? You mentioned in your statement you had to take her to a doctor.

>> Yes, sir. The last phone call that I got from the school, she had gotten in a fight, the little girl. And I had called a Laura Oaks in Dothan and took her there. >> What is Laura Oaks? >> It’s a behavioral center. >> And how long did she stay there? >> Six days. Did she also have difficulties with AJ >> somewhat? Yes, sir.

 Did >> Did she ever exhibit any violence towards him? >> There was one incident where Allan and I had stepped outside and when we come back in, she had a knife pulled on Andrew. >> She was threatening her brother with a knife. >> Yes, sir. >> On the second day of proceedings, two of the six jurors failed to return to the courtroom.

 Substitutes had to be selected. After a three-day trial, the jury deliberated for one hour. The jury was convinced Amanda had killed her daughter because she couldn’t deal with how hyperactive Adriana was. We the jury find as follows as to the defendant, Amanda Elaine Lewis, as to count one in this case.

 The defendant is guilty as charged of firstdegree felon murder. We the jury find as follows as to the defendant, Amanda Elaine Lewis, as to count two in this case. The defendant is guilty as charged of aggravated child abuse. So say we all. Dated this 22nd day of February 2008. Signed Eugene E. >> In March 2008, Amanda Lewis was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murder of her daughter.

In 2010, Amanda filed an unsuccessful appeal. Then on November 7th, 2025, a motion for postconviction relief was filed. The motion alleges four constitutional violations regarding the jurors at Lewis’s trial. First, the judge dismissed a juror despite deeming him competent to serve outside Amanda’s presence and without her approval.

Second, another juror failed to disclose that she’d overheard the lead police officer falsely claiming Amanda was a drug addict who never should have had children. That juror was only 17 years old. Today, a movement to free Amanda Lewis has grown stronger. There’s an entire website dedicated to her case, claiming the interview tactics used before and during the trial would be prohibited under current Florida protocol.

 Amanda Lewis has remained behind bars for more than 17 years. She continues serving her life sentence as inmate Q21185 at Homestead Correctional Institution for Women. AJ, now 24 and a firefighter, says a Christian family adopted him. He calls it a complete turnaround. He’s found a new life outside the trauma, but still stands by every word he said.

 He refuses to see his mother. Her appeals continue. The case file remains open. And the question of what really happened in that backyard pool on August 8th, 2007 still divides everyone who examines the evidence.