Mother insists she is innocent of murdering daughter - despite seven-year-old son saying he saw it happen

AJ Lewis testified in court that he had seen his mother, Amanda, drown his sister in a paddling pool

An American woman in prison for murdering her daughter has maintained her innocence despite her son tearfully telling a courtroom that he had seen her drowning his sister in their garden.

The incident had originally been put down as a tragic accident until AJ Lewis told police he had seen his mother Amanda drowning his half-sister Adrianna Hutto in a paddling pool for being naughty.

The court in Esto, Florida heard that Lewis had forced Adrianna’s head under the water and held her there till she died as punishment after the girl had sprayed window cleaner in the wrong place.

AJ, who was just five at the time of Adrianna’s death, had to testify in court against his mother.

Too small to reach the witness stand, the little boy sat in a chair and explained a picture he had drawn of the incident.

When asked to describe what was happening in it, the replied it was “My mama...killing my sister”.

The boy did not recognise his mother when the first sees after walking into court and he initially insisted to the woman accompanying him that “my mama is in jail” after having not seen her in six months.

The picture AJ drew of the incident which he was asked to describe in court (ITV)

He then burst into tears as he realised his words would send her to jail.

AJ’s testimony, given in 2008, meant Lewis was convicted of murder, but she has always maintained her innocence.

She appeared in a new ITV series, Killer Woman, to “prove that I’m innocent. Proving what he said I didn’t do”.

She told the presenter, Piers Morgan, that she “couldn’t believe they were doing this” as she watched her son testify against her.

The now 35-year-old said he waved at her as he was led out of the courtroom, but that she has not seen him since.

She said: "I love him no matter what, I will always love him. He is in no way blame him for what happened."