Murder of Adrianna Hutto

Adrianna Elaine Hutto (September 16, 1999 – August 8, 2007) was a seven-year-old girl living in Esto, Florida. On August 8, 2007, her mother, Amanda E. Lewis, called 911 saying she had found Adrianna in the family's pool and that the child was not breathing. Emergency personnel transported Adrianna to Bay Medical hospital, where she was pronounced dead about an hour later. The death was initially treated as accidental drowning until Adrianna's half-brother, A.J., then six years old, told police that his mother had "dunked" Adrianna in the pool as a form of corporal punishment.

During the investigation, police learned that Adrianna had been diagnosed with ADHD, and Lewis said her bond with her daughter had grown over time despite early difficulty. Investigators also noted that neither Adrianna nor A.J. had many toys in the home; Lewis claimed the toys had been removed as punishment and stored in a shed, but a search of the shed found no toys, only a wagon and pool inflatables in the yard. Lewis took and passed a polygraph test during which she denied killing her daughter. Local law enforcement, including Sheriff Lee, gave media statements that were later found to contain inaccuracies about where Adrianna had been found in the pool.

In September 2007, Lewis was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. She rejected a plea offer that would have resulted in a ten-year sentence for manslaughter and proceeded to trial in February 2008. At trial, the defense challenged the reliability of A.J.'s statements, noting inconsistencies in his account over repeated questioning. The prosecution presented testimony from Lewis's co-workers, evidence regarding household conditions, the missing-toys discrepancy, and an autopsy conducted by medical examiner Charles Siebert, a figure who had previously been removed from duty over asserted negligence in other cases and later removed again. Prosecutors also pointed to bruising on Adrianna's forehead they said was consistent with A.J.'s account.

The trial included an unusual procedural episode: on the second day, two of the six seated jurors did not return, requiring substitutes to be selected. After four days of proceedings and roughly two hours of deliberation, the jury convicted Lewis of first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse. In March 2008, she was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Lewis appealed in 2010 on a merger-doctrine argument, but the conviction was affirmed. In November 2025, she filed a Motion for Post-Conviction Relief alleging constitutional violations related to jury composition and conduct during her original trial, following renewed scrutiny of the case by a podcast investigation that reported potential appellate issues, including a juror's removal outside Lewis's presence and questions about another juror's age and impartiality.

The case has been covered by several media productions, including an Investigation Discovery series, a 20/20 episode, a UK documentary series, and podcasts examining the case in detail.