WWE legend Tammy Sytch has been ordered to spend roughly the next decade and a half in prison for her role in a 2022 car crash that killed a 75-year-old man.
Sytch learned her fate inside of a Volusia County courtroom on Monday morning … three months after she pled no contest to, among other charges, one felony count of DUI causing death.
Happening Now: former WWE star & Hall of Famer Tammy Sytch is in court for sentencing. She pleaded no contest for a 2022 fatal crash where police say she was driving drunk. She faces up to 25 years in prison. @news6wkmg pic.twitter.com/lat4ZuSUZ8
— Molly Reed (@Mollyreednews) November 27, 2023
@Mollyreednews
Sytch — wearing an orange jumpsuit and shackles on her wrists — addressed the courtroom for a few minutes during the hearing, which lasted several hours and featured testimonies from people affiliated with the case, including a medical expert who evaluated the former wrestling personality in the spring.
Sytch broke down in tears during her speech and apologized for her actions. At one point, the 50-year-old also turned to the victim’s family and said, “I know my words are not enough but please know that I think about you every day.”
When the judge ultimately sentenced her to 17 years in prison, Sytch appeared stoic — before she was taken out of the courtroom by officials.
Sytch — also known as “Sunny” in the ring — has been locked behind bars since May 2022 … after prosecutors claimed she drunkenly slammed her car into Julian Lasseter‘s, killing him during a horrific March 2022 crash in Florida.
According to authorities, Sytch barreled into Lasseter while he was stopped at a traffic light. They alleged that at the time of the wreck, she had a blood alcohol content of .08 or higher.
Sytch was hit with eight total charges over the incident … and, at first, she pled not guilty to all of the charges, though she changed her pleas in August after reaching an agreement with prosecutors.
Following the plea deal, she had been facing a prison sentence of up to 25 years.
The judge also said during Tuesday’s proceedings that Sytch will be required to serve 8 years of probation following her prison sentence … and her driver’s license has been permanently revoked.
The case was not the first time Sytch — who was elected into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2011 — had been accused of drinking and driving … she had previously been arrested at least six times prior for impaired driving.