VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — WWW Hall of Famer Tamara “Sunny” Sytch has been sentenced to more than 17 years in prison.
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Investigators said Sytch killed a 75-year-old man in March 2022 in a drunk driving crash in Ormond Beach.
Police said her blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit when the crash happened.
Julian “Fran” Lasseter’s family said he still had a lot of life ahead of him. He was active and exercised daily.
Read: WWE Hall of Famer ‘Sunny’ sentenced to more than 17 years after deadly DUI crash
He was involved in multiple local organizations and was loved by his community.
Sytch also took the stand and told the family she wished to take the victim’s place. She had a long battle with substance abuse issues and multiple DUI arrests.
The victim, Lasseter, left behind a tight-knit family. His daughter described the hole she still feels in her heart.
Read: WWE Hall of Famer ‘Sunny’ arrested after deadly crash in Ormond Beach, police say
“Telling my kids what happened was the hardest moment of my life,” Whitney Lasseter Hill said. “It changed everything to find out that my dad, our rock, was no longer with us.”
Multiple doctors who evaluated Sytch after her arrest said she suffers from depression, anxiety, PTSD, bipolar, and alcohol dependency.
When she took the stand, she faced the family. She said she has a rehabilitation plan and could teach others not to repeat her mistakes.
“I feel I could be a huge asset to the community by educating people about the dangers of drinking and driving and the dangers of not having your mental health in order,” Sytch said.
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She was sentenced to a little more than 17 years with credit for time already served.
Lasseter’s family didn’t think that was fair but acknowledged the fact that Sytch has had a traumatic life.
“She really needs to do a lot of soul searching, and she hasn’t done it for all these years,” Julian Lasseter’s brother said. “And I am hoping she can find some way to find herself again.”
After her 17 years, she will be on probation for another eight.
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