Judge Dismisses Tammy Sytch Motion, Warns Overturning Plea Could Bring Longer Prison Term
A Volusia County judge dismissed a motion from WWE Hall of Famer Tammy Sytch seeking review of her conviction and warned that successfully vacating her plea could expose her to additional charges and a longer sentence.
A Volusia County Circuit Court judge has dismissed a motion from WWE Hall of Famer Tammy Sytch that sought review of her 2023 conviction, and warned that overturning her plea agreement could expose her to more charges and a substantially longer prison term.
Sytch was sentenced in November 2023 to 17 years and six months after pleading no contest to charges stemming from a March 2022 car crash that killed 75-year-old Julian LaFrancis Lasseter. She previously had a history of DUI offenses and was convicted of DUI manslaughter and other driving-related charges.
According to a PWInsider report, Sytch filed a motion earlier in October asking the court to revisit her conviction. Her filing argued her former defense attorney failed to properly investigate whether the March 2022 crash directly caused Lasseter's death. Sytch cited medical records obtained during a civil case, noting Lasseter's documented history of coronary artery disease, stenosis and other heart and internal health conditions. The motion also referenced toxicology results that reportedly found Cialis and Adderall in Lasseter's system and described the incident as a "low-speed collision," contending some injuries were consistent with CPR performed at the scene.
Sytch also raised a possible conflict of interest, alleging her defense counsel should have examined whether Assistant State Attorney Ashley Terwilliger's marriage to physician Zachary Terwilliger, who declared Lasseter dead, created a potential conflict. In the filing Sytch requested an evidentiary hearing, access to additional evidence and new legal representation as needed, and asked the court to overturn her conviction and sentence.
On October 21, Judge Christian Miller dismissed the motion as "facially insufficient," citing procedural defects including missing sworn statements about the truth of the claims and Sytch's ability to understand English. Miller additionally warned that if Sytch ultimately succeeds in vacating her plea, prosecutors would not be bound by the original deal and could re-file charges that had been dropped. The report states that, if retried and convicted on all original counts, Sytch could face up to 26 years — eight years and six months more than her current sentence.
