Tammy “Sunny” Sytch has filed a motion asking for a lower sentence in her conviction on DUI manslaughter charges.
As we’ve been reporting here on eWn, the WWE Hall of Famer is facing 26 years in prison for the DUI manslaughter plea deal in relation to a car accident in March of 2022 in Ormand Beach, Florida. During that accident, 75 year-old Julian Lasseter was killed.
On October 13, Sytch’s attorneys filed a motion asking for a “downward departure,” which means a sentence imposed below the guideline due to specific mitigating factors. The motion states Sytch suffers from a “a mental disorder that is unrelated to substance abuse or addiction or for a physical disability, and the defendant is amenable to treatment.”
Sytch will be sentenced on November 27th.
You can check out the official motion below:
MOTION FOR DOWNWARD DEPARTURE
COMES NOW the Defendant, Tamara Lynn Sytch, by and through her undersigned Assistant Public Defender and moves this Honorable Court to grant this motion for the following reasons:
* The Defendant in this case is charged with One Count of DUI Manslaughter, One Count of Driving While License Suspended with Death, Four Counts of DUI with Damage to a Person and Two Counts of DUI with Damage to Property.
* The Defendant entered a split plea with an open plea on the counts of DUI Manslaughter and Driving While License Suspended with Death and a negotiated plea on the misdemeanor DUI counts whereby they will be disposed of with a time served sentence to run concurrent to each other and to the felony counts.
* The Defense submits that Ms. Sytch meets the criteria for a downward departure.
Under Florida’s sentencing statutes, “[a] downward departure from the lowest permissible sentence … is prohibited unless there are circumstances or factors that reasonably justify the downward departure.” 921.0026(1), Fla. Stat. (2022). Subsection 921.0026(1) continues by indicating that subsection 921.0026(2) provides a non-exclusive list of mitigating factors. A trial court’s decision whether to depart from the guidelines is a two-part process. First, the court must determine whether it can depart, i.e., whether there is a valid legal ground and adequate factual support for that ground in the case pending before it (step I). Legal grounds are set f01th in case law and statute, and facts supporting the ground must be proven by “a preponderance of the evidence.’ This aspect of the court’s decision to depart is a mixed question of law and fact and will be sustained on review if the court applied the right rule of law and if competent substantial evidence supports its ruling.
Second, where the step I requirements are met, the trial court further must determine whether it should depart, i.e., whether departure is indeed the best sentencing option for the defendant in the pending case. In making this determination (step 2), the court must weigh the totality of the circumstances in the case, including aggravating and mitigating factors. This second aspect of the decision to depart is a judgment call within the sound discretion of the court and will be sustained on review absent an abuse of discretion. Discretion is only abused where no reasonable person would agree with the trial court’s decision. Banks v. State 732 So.2d 1065 (Fla. 1999)
MITIGATING CIRCUMSTANCE FOR DOWNWARD DEPARTURE
The defense intends to present evidence that Ms. Sytch meets the criteria for a downward departure under the following grounds.
921 0026(2)(d) The defendant requires specialized treatment for a mental disorder that is unrelated to substance abuse or addiction or for a physical disability, and the defendant is amenable to treatment.
WHEREFORE, Defendant prays this Honorable Court grant this Motion.
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Tammy “Sunny” Sytch, a WWE Hall of Famer, has recently filed a motion requesting a lower sentence in her conviction on DUI manslaughter charges. This motion comes after Sytch was facing 26 years in prison for a plea deal related to a car accident that occurred in March of 2022 in Ormand Beach, Florida, resulting in the death of 75-year-old Julian Lasseter.
On October 13, Sytch’s attorneys filed a motion for a “downward departure,” which means a sentence imposed below the guideline due to specific mitigating factors. The motion argues that Sytch suffers from a mental disorder unrelated to substance abuse or addiction, or a physical disability, and is amenable to treatment.
The sentencing is scheduled for November 27th, where the court will consider the motion and determine the appropriate sentence for Sytch.
Florida’s sentencing statutes state that a downward departure from the lowest permissible sentence is prohibited unless there are circumstances or factors that reasonably justify it. The court must first determine if it can depart based on valid legal grounds and factual support. If the requirements are met, the court must then weigh the totality of the circumstances, including aggravating and mitigating factors, to decide if departure is the best sentencing option for the defendant.
In this case, the defense intends to present evidence that Sytch meets the criteria for a downward departure based on the grounds of requiring specialized treatment for a mental disorder unrelated to substance abuse or addiction, or a physical disability, and being amenable to treatment.
It is now up to the court to review the motion and make a decision on whether to grant a lower sentence for Sytch. The outcome of this case will be determined on November 27th during the sentencing hearing.
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