Sunny Sytch Seeks to Vacate DUI Manslaughter Conviction

Tammy Sytch, known as Sunny in WWE, is seeking to have her conviction overturned. She is currently serving a prison sentence in Florida following her 2023 conviction related to a March 2022 traffic incident in Ormond Beach that resulted in the death of 75-year-old Julian Lasseter.

The conviction included charges of DUI causing death, causing death while operating a vehicle with a suspended or revoked driver’s license, four counts of DUI causing injury, and three counts of DUI causing damage to property.

Sytch claims her defense counsel provided ineffective assistance by failing to investigate and present evidence about Lasseter’s pre-existing medical conditions, toxicology results, and possible alternative causes of death.

According to the motion, the incident involved a low-speed collision in which Sytch had slowed her vehicle and was moving toward a turnaround lane. The filing states that Lasseter had no significant physical injuries clearly explaining death from the impact itself.

Civil discovery revealed Lasseter had a substantial and long-standing medical history that included coronary artery disease, stenosis, and other serious cardiovascular and internal medical conditions. Toxicology records showed Adderall and Cialis in his system, and he suffered fractured ribs consistent with CPR administered at the scene.

The motion argues these records raise questions about whether emergency life-saving measures, pre-existing vascular disease, toxicology findings, a spontaneous medical event, or another medical circumstance contributed to or caused the aortic injury, hemorrhage, and death.