Press Release - Amanda Lewis
It all begins with an idea.
Amanda Lewis has filed an appeal of her convictions connected to the death of her seven year-old daughter, Adrianna. There are four grounds for appeal:
(1) the judge removed one of Amanda’s six presiding jurors despite deeming him competent to serve;
(2) the judge removed this juror outside Amanda’s presence and without her approval;
(3) a second juror failed to disclose that she overheard the lead police officer on Amanda’s case at a grocery store falsely claiming that Amanda never should have had children because she was a drug addict;
(4) this second juror was only 17 years-old.
Beyond these serious violations of Amanda’s rights, our years-long investigation into Amanda’s case has convinced us of her actual innocence.
SUPPORT FOR
ACTUAL INNOCENCE
WHAT LIKELY HAPPENED
Adrianna pulled a red wagon next to the pool, got in it, and fell into the pool while she was trying to scoop out bugs and water.
The wagon was pulled up to the pool when the first responders arrived.
Upon arriving at the scene of the drowning, first responder Charles Corcoran’s conclusion was that Adrianna had fallen into the pool from the wagon and hit her head.
The pool’s FAQ page indicates that putting pressure on the inflatable ring on top of the pool can cause it to collapse.
The ground surrounding the wagon was very wet, and the wagon was filled with mud and small footprints, supporting the conclusion that Adrianna fell into the pool from the wagon.
Amanda’s boyfriend’s son told the police that Adrianna had previously pulled the wagon up to the pool, gotten in it, and tried to scoop out water before being told to stop by his dad.
Amanda’s six year-old son, AJ, testified on cross-examination that Adrianna fell and/or climbed into the pool from the wagon.
EYEWITNESS
The only alleged eyewitness to the drowning was Amanda’s six year-old son, AJ.
AJ told a member of the Child Protection Team on the night of the drowning that he did not see his sister being drowned.
AJ told the member of the Child Protection Team that, at the time of the drowning, he was in a short tree in the front yard from which you could not see the pool in the backyard.
During therapy, AJ drew a picture of his sister drowning while he was in the tree, accompanied by the words “CAN’T SEE.”
AJ told the police that his mom cleaned, did dishes, and washed clothes when she woke up. This contradicts his claim that his mom first dunked his sister immediately after she woke up.
Amanda’s boyfriend’s son told the police that Amanda vacuumed the house after she woke up.
The child psychologist who evaluated AJ concluded that science would deem him incompetent to testify, finding that AJ (1) had difficulty understanding what the truth is; and (2) would supply responses to questions even when he had no knowledge.
At trial, AJ twice testified that he did not understand the difference between the truth and a lie or a story.
AJ changed critical components of his story at least 13 times.
TIMELINE
The State’s timeline consisted of Amanda waking up from a nap after her midnight shift, dunking her daughter in the pool, sending her to the school bus stop to catch the bus, driving to pick her up from the bus stop, taking her home, and immediately drowning her a second time.
Adrianna drowned on August 8th, during the summer, when school was not in session.
A neighbor drove by Amanda’s house mere minutes before the drowning. He told the police that Amanda’s car was pulled up to the house and that nobody was outside or in the pool.
Amanda made a documented phone call to her boyfriend from inside the house mere minutes after the neighbor drove by it, leaving no time for her to drown Adrianna.
Amanda’s boyfriend’s son told the police that Amanda came into his room mere minutes before the drowning and told him she was taking the kids school shopping. The son also said Amanda did not leave the house or drive the car before this conversation.
MEDICAL EVIDENCE
The State’s theory was that linear bruises on Adrianna’s forehead were caused by Amanda dunking Adrianna’s face in the family pool with her left hand.
This theory was invented by the medical examiner’s assistant, who had neither medical training nor a college degree.
The medical examiner agreed with this theory because he thought Adrianna’s head was pushed against an in-ground, concrete pool.
During a deposition, the medical examiner was told that the pool was above-ground and soft-sided, leading him to acknowledge that this theory did not make sense.
At the time of Adrianna’s autopsy, the medical examiner had already been fired based on negligence in at least 35 cases and was violating an order that his work be supervised while he performed autopsies on an interim basis during the search for his replacement.
The medical examiner fled Florida and did not return to testify at Amanda’s trial. The State called a surrogate medical examiner, but neither she nor the jurors were shown a video in which a first responder said that his 4+ back blows while Adrianna’s forehead was on the ground would have caused trauma to her head.
Multiple medical experts have concluded that the bruises on Adrianna’s forehead are not consistent with being grabbed by a hand, with one citing the wagon pulled next to the pool as the likeliest source for the bruises.
CORRECTING MISREPORTED CLAIMS
The following false statements have circulated in the media and online about Amanda and her case over the years.
False Claim: When an ER doctor asked Amanda and her boyfriend if they had any questions about Adrianna’s status,
Amanda asked where the vending machine was.
Truth: The doctor testified that she never spoke with Amanda until Adrianna had died, Amanda’s boyfriend said he never entered the hospital, and Amanda was with a female ad litem when she spoke to the doctor.
False Claim: The kids had no toys.
Truth: The State’s investigative report notes that the kids each had several toys.
False Claim: Amanda lied to the police, saying she had put the kids’ toys in a shed.
Truth: Amanda never told the police she put any toys in a shed. She testified to taking some of the kids’ toys to a local mission.
False Claim: Amanda was a neglectful mother who had given up on Adrianna and her education.
Truth: Adrianna’s teacher testified that (1) she saw no signs of abuse or neglect; (2) Adrianna spoke highly of her mother; and (3) Amanda was highly engaged in her daughter’s education, attending conferences, coming to school for lunches, and speaking with her 10-12 times on the phone.
False Claim: Amanda’s first son, Alex, died under suspicious circumstances.
Truth: The autopsy concluded that Alex died from a seizure disorder and that there were no signs of trauma.
False Claim: The house where Amanda and the kids lived was filthy.
Truth: Photos and video from the search of the house show it was clean, consistent with AJ’s statement that Amanda was cleaning it after waking up.
We have covered 27 cases on Undisclosed, with 20 of those cases resulting in relief, including 13 exonerations. Based on the Constitutional violations and evidence of Amanda’s actual innocence, she should be the next exoneree on this list.
Any inquiries about our investigation in Amanda’s case can be directed to Colin Miller at (917) 617-4566 or Mille933@law.sc.edu.
Colin Miller & Rabia Chaudry