WWE Hall of Famer Sunny, whose real name is Tammy Sytch, was sentenced Monday to nearly two decades in prison and nearly a decade of probation for a deadly DUI crash in Florida last year.
BREAKING: Tammy Sytch aka Sunny has been sentenced to 17 years total in prison & 8 years of probation. pic.twitter.com/MyfCePZYVa
— Wrestlelamia.com (@wrestlelamia) November 27, 2023
Sytch received 17 years in prison — a 10-year sentence and a seven-year sentence both meant to be served consecutively.
Happening Now: former WWE star & Hall of Famer Tammy Sytch is in court for sentencing. She pleaded no contest for a 2022 fatal crash where police say she was driving drunk. She faces up to 25 years in prison. @news6wkmg pic.twitter.com/lat4ZuSUZ8
— Molly Reed (@Mollyreednews) November 27, 2023
From the AP:
Sytch, who was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2011, pleaded no contest in August to driving under the influence manslaughter and other charges. She also had an unsealed bottle of vodka in her vehicle and cannabis in her system at the time of her arrest in Volusia County in March 2022, authorities said.
🇺🇸 | #WWE Hall of Famer Tammy Sytch, better known as Sunny, was sentenced today by the #Florida court to a total of 17 and a half years in prison for involuntary manslaughter in a case dating back to last year.
In March 2022, Sytch caused the death of 75-year-old Julian L.… pic.twitter.com/evndQcOWlT
— Breaking News (@PlanetReportHQ) November 28, 2023
She had faced up to more than 25 years in prison during her sentencing hearing on Monday. During the hearing, Sytch said she felt remorse and regret “deep in my soul” for killing Julian LaFrancis Lasseter of Daytona Beach.
Sytch, 50, previously had been arrested multiple times from driving under the influence in Pennsylvania, where her driver’s license had been suspended. She didn’t have a Florida driver’s license.
“The defendant’s history of drinking and driving is horrendous,” State Attorney R.J. Larizza said in a statement after the sentencing. “It was only a matter of time before her drunk driving killed an innocent and unsuspecting individual.”
From Fox News:
The 50-year-old New Jersey native received credit of more than 500 days for time served. She will also need to complete eight years of probation, 50 hours of community service and pay a $10,000 fine.
The WWE Hall of Famer read a statement to the judge during the sentencing hearing.
“I know my words are not enough. But please know I think about you every day,” she said. “Every second of every day, and I will do whatever I can to make the changes I need to make sure this never happens again. No one should have to go through this and please know that every single second of every day since the crash, I wish I could change places with him.”
Lassiter’s family told the station they were disappointed with the sentence.
“We are a little bit disappointed in the outcome. I think it should’ve been longer than what they — what she agreed to,” Whitney Lassiter-Hill, Julian’s daughter, said.