(NationRise.com) – Tammy Sytch, who was known professionally as “Sunny” during her tenure as a WWE personality, has been sentenced to 17 years in prison after causing a deadly car accident while intoxicated.
The accident occurred last year in Daytona Beach, FL. Sytch was driving with a suspended license when she hit another car being driven by Julian Lassiter, 75. She was also going in the wrong direction on a one-way street. Lassiter’s vehicle was hit so hard that it collided with a third vehicle, and he died on the scene. A test revealed that Sytch’s BAL was triple the legal limit when the crash occurred.
Sytch received two prison sentences. One was for 10 years, and the other, seven. She will serve them consecutively and will serve an additional 8-year probationary period upon release. She must also pay a $10,000 fine and complete a 50-hour community service sentence.
Lassiter’s family expressed disappointment in Sytch’s sentence, saying that it was too short. Social media users and influencers largely agreed with the family, claiming that her former fame helped Sytch receive a lighter sentence than they believed she deserved. Some even cited similar cases in which people who were not rich or famous received more severe punishments.
Sytch’s career in wrestling began after she met Chris Candido while studying at the University of Miami, where she was given a full academic scholarship. She left the school to pursue a career with Smoky Mountain Wrestling. While there, she began studying at the University of Tennessee with hopes of becoming a cosmetic surgeon. She later dropped out to pursue a career in wrestling, modeling, and adult entertainment.
Sytch later joined the WWE (then the WWF) and would later be considered its first Diva. She was inducted into the league’s Hall of Fame in 2011, seven years before retiring.
She faced a series of legal issues after retiring from wrestling in 2018. She was in and out of jail often, mostly for DUI-related charges. She had only been out of prison for four months when she crashed into Lassiter’s car. Her rap sheet spread across several states.
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