Former WWE star Tammy "Sunny" Sytch gets over 17 years in prison for deadly DUI crash
Former pro wrestler Tammy "Sunny" Sytch has been sentenced to more than 17 years in prison for drunkenly colliding with another car, killing a 75-year-old man, while her blood alcohol level was four times the legal limit, authorities in Florida said.
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.
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.
The judge handed down the sentence just after 3 p.m., which includes eight years of probation following the completion of her incarceration, CBS affiliate WKMG reported. Sytch was granted a credit of 566 days for her sentence, the station reported.
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."
Lasseter's family also filed a civil suit against Sytch, WKMG reported.
Sytch first signed a contract with the WWE in 1995 and became a fan favorite. She also managed other WWE personalities and did broadcasting.