WWE Legend Tammy Sytch Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison

Former WWE Superstar Tammy “Sunny” Sytch was sentenced to 17 years in prison and eight years probation for a deadly crash in which she was driving drunk, according to multiple reports. Assistant State Attorney Ashley Terwilleger sought the maximum penalty of 26 years in prison for Sytch, arguing she’s considered a “danger to society” for repeated offenses. 

Sytch, 50, pleaded no contest on Aug. 26 for one count of DUI manslaughter; driving while license suspended with death; four counts of DUI with damage to person; and two counts of DUI with damage to property, according to The Daytona Beach News-Journal. The WWE Hall of Famer was involved in an accident on March 25, 2022. Her sedan crashed into a vehicle driven by Julian Fran Lasseter, who stopped at a red light on a road in Ormond Beach. Lesseter died from his injuries, and Sytch’s blood-alcohol content was between 0.32 and 0.36 less than an hour after the crash. The legal limit in Florida is 0.08. 

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At the time, Sytch told police at the hospital that she was unaware she had been in a crash. According to records, Sytch could not remember how much she drank but revealed she consumed vodka while making leftover burritos in her kitchen before getting on the road. During her sentence hearing, Sytch asked the judge for another chance. She admitted to being involved in the crash but then listed some of the good things she has done in her life such as making a “terminally ill children’s wish come through the Make-a-Wish foundation.”

“If I could bring Mr. Lasseter back and take his place I would in an instant,” Sytch said. Jessica Roberts, Sytch’s defense attorney, presented testimony from John Fabian, a psychologist, who testified that Sytch had suffered some traumatic events in her life, including the death of her father and her fiancé, former professional wrestler Chris Candido, in 2005. Sytch also lost a niece who died in a car accident. 

Sytch competed under the name Sunny during her time in WWE from 1994 to 1998. She also competed in ECW and WCW before joining the independent circuit. In 2011, Sytch was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as she is considered the first Diva in WWE history.