Judge rejects Tammy Sytch motion seeking review of 17-year sentence
A Florida circuit judge dismissed a filing from Tammy Sytch asking the court to revisit the more-than-17-year prison sentence she is serving for the 2022 death of Julian Lasseter, ruling the motion failed to meet required procedural and factual standards.
Circuit Judge Christian Miller has dismissed a motion from former wrestling personality Tammy Sytch asking the court to revisit the 17-year-plus prison sentence she is serving for the 2022 death of Julian Lasseter.
Sytch filed the motion in Volusia County seeking review of her November 2023 conviction and sentence. She pleaded no contest to multiple counts related to the March 2022 crash that killed 75-year-old Lasseter, including driving with a suspended license, driving under the influence, DUI resulting in injury, and DUI with property damage.
The motion argued the sentence should be revisited based on alleged failures to investigate causation and a possible conflict, and cited "omitted" and "new" evidence. Among the claims in the filing were that Sytch's prior defense team did not fully investigate Lasseter's pre-existing medical conditions — including coronary disease and stenosis — and whether factors other than the collision contributed to his death. The filing also noted toxicology reports it said showed Cialis and Adderall in Lasseter's system and that his ribs were broken after CPR, and described the crash as a "low-speed collision."
Sytch additionally alleged a prosecutorial conflict because Assistant State Attorney Ashley Terwilliger was married to Dr. Zachary Terwilliger, the physician who declared Lasseter's death; the motion said the relationship should have been disclosed and investigated.
Judge Miller's interim order dismissed the motion for failing to include required factual allegations and for not meeting procedural requirements. The judge noted motions must be under oath, must state that the defendant has read the motion or had it read to them, and must certify the defendant's understanding of English or that a full translation was provided. Miller warned that a successful appeal could expose Sytch to a full retrial and potentially a harsher sentence — prosecutors had sought a 26-year term while she received a shorter sentence.
Sytch is incarcerated at Lowell Correctional Institute in Ocala, Florida, and her current release date is listed as December 2038, subject to possible reductions through facility programs.
