A Florida judge has dismissed a motion from Tammy Sytch, known in wrestling as Sunny, that sought to overturn her conviction in a fatal 2022 crash. PWInsider reported that Judge Christian Miller of Volusia County Circuit Court issued the ruling on October 21.
The motion was a post-conviction relief filing that Sytch made earlier in October. Miller found it "facially insufficient" and wrote that it "fails on its face." The reason was procedural: Florida's rules of criminal procedure require such a motion to be filed under oath, with a certification of English language comprehension, and Sytch's filing did not include those elements.
Sytch entered a nolo contendere plea in August 2023 and was sentenced in November 2023 to 17 years and 6 months. The case stems from a March 25, 2022 crash on U.S. 1 near Granada Boulevard in Ormond Beach, Florida. PWInsider reported that Sytch struck the stopped vehicle of 75 year old Julian Lasseter, who died after being hospitalized.
Miller's order also addressed what could follow if Sytch ever succeeded in vacating her plea. The judge wrote that she would be "exposed to any legal sentence that could be imposed if she is convicted of the charges," and PWInsider reported that prosecutors could pursue all of the original charges, which carry exposure of up to 26 years. That figure is the possible maximum in a hypothetical retrial, not her current sentence.
The ruling dismisses the filing as submitted and does not decide the underlying claims. It has not been reported whether Sytch will file a corrected motion.
As of October 30, Sytch's conviction and 17 year, 6 month sentence stand.
