Former professional wrestler Tamara Lynn Sytch — aka Tammy Sytch, or her ring name, Sunny — has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for her role in a deadly DUI car crash that killed a 75-year-old man named Julian Fran Lasseter in Florida in March 2022.
The Daytona Beach News-Journal shared news of the sentencing on Monday (Nov. 27), reporting that Assistant State Attorney Ashley Terwilleger sought the maximum penalty of 25 years in prison for Sytch.
According to EW, the deadly accident took place when Sytch crashed her car into a vehicle that was stopped at a red light in Ormond Beach, Fla. That car, which was being driven by Lasseter, was pushed into another car, and he died of his injuries.
Less than one hour after the incident, Sytch's blood alcohol content was measured between .32 and .36 — four times the legal limit of .08 — and tests also indicated the presence of marijuana in her system. After she was taken to the hospital following the crash, Sytch told police officers that she remembered drinking vodka and making leftover burritos, but had no memory of being in a car crash.
On Aug. 26, Sytch pleaded guilty to DUI manslaughter as well as four counts of DUI with damage to person and two counts of DUI with damage to property, according to the Daytona New-Journal, who also reported that she made a statement to the judge on the day of her sentencing.
In that statement, she apologized to Lasseter's family and told them that she would gladly give her life if it meant bringing him back. She also mentioned the 2005 death of her fiancé, Chris Candido, saying that she believed that tragedy precipitated "a huge trend of mistakes that I should have learned from."
"A precious life was lost that tragic day and I'm so incredibly sorry for that," Sytch said, speaking about Lasseter's death. "I would ask that you give me the opportunity to atone for what I've done and then to be released to society to contribute to it in the most positive way possible."
Family members also made statements at the sentencing, and asked for the maximum penalty to be applied in Sytch's case.
In addition to her 17-year sentence, Sytch will serve eight years of probation following release. Prosecutors in her case cited her repeated offenses during her case, according to People: She was charged with her sixth DUI offense in 2019, after allegedly driving the wrong way down a one-way street with a suspended license. Sytch served eight months in prison for that charge.
Sytch, who is 50 years old and is originally from New Jersey, signed her first wrestling deal with Smoky Mountain Wrestling in 1992. She was contracted by the World Wrestling Foundation (WWF, which later became WWE) in 1994, and over the years, she worked as a pro wrestling manager, valet, adult entertainer, ring announcer and more in addition to her career in the ring.
She has been commended as one of the top managers of WWE history, and she entered the WWE Hall of Fame in 2011.
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