Tammy Sytch recently filed a motion seeking a review of her sentence, related to the death of Julian Lasseter in 2022, which she is currently serving.
PWinsider.com first reported that Sytch filed a motion (pro se) on October 13, 2026, in Volusia County seeking a review of her conviction in November 2023, when she was sentenced to over seventeen years in prison for the death of Lasseter.
Sytch pleaded no contest to multiple charges, including driving with a suspended license, driving under the influence, DUI with damage to a person, and DUI with property damage. In March 2022, Sytch struck Lasseter with her vehicle, and Lasseter died shortly afterward at the age of 75. It was revealed that Sytch’s blood-alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit, with a bottle of vodka found in her vehicle.
Sytch’s motion is asking the court to revisit the sentence based on “failure to investigate causation”, “failure to investigate conflict”, as well as “omitted” and “new” evidence.
Her arguments include her previous defense team not properly investigating Lasseter’s pre-existing medical conditions and whether other factors contributed to his death. She claims it was a “low-speed collision” and that Lasseter had a history of coronary disease, stenosis, and other cardiovascular and internal medical conditions. The argument added that toxicology reports showed Cialis and Adderall in his system and that he had broken his ribs after CPR was administered.
Defendant does not allege, without expert support, that any one medical factor conclusively caused death. Rather, Defendant alleges that competent counsel had a constitutional duty to investigate these facts and obtain qualified expert assistance to determine whether the collision was a legal cause of death.
The argument over conflict is that Assistant State Attorney Ashley Terwilliger of the prosecution failed to disclose she was married to physician Zachary Terwilliger, who declared the death of the victim. No evidence of a conflict was presented, but Sytch believes it should have been disclosed and investigated.
Circuit Judge Christian Miller addressed the motion, filed an interim order, and dismissed it for failing to include the necessary facts or claims to move forward.
The motion must be under oath stating that the defendant has read the motion or that it has been read to him or her, that the defendant understands its content, and that all of the facts stated therein are true and correct. The defendant shall either certify that the defendant can understand English or, if the defendant cannot understand English, that the defendant has had the motion translated completely into a language that the defendant understands.
The judge added that if Sytch appealed and was successful, her entire case and full list of charges could be revisited at trial and she could end up with a harsher sentence than the one currently being served. Prosecutors were seeking a twenty-six-year sentence for Sytch, and she received a lighter sentence.
The Court warns Defendant that, if she is successful in having her negotiated plea set aside, she should be aware that the State would not be bound by the plea agreement and Defendant could be exposed to any legal sentence that could be imposed if she is convicted of the charges. As a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years of incarceration, a third-degree felony punishable by up to 5 years of incarceration, and six first-degree misdemeanors punishable by up to approximately 1 year of incarceration each, Defendant faces up to 26 years of incarceration. Defendant is informed that if she wishes to withdraw her Motion, she should file a notice of voluntary dismissal with the Court.
Sytch is serving her seventeen-year sentence at the Lowell Correctional Institute in Ocala, Florida, and is scheduled to be released in December 2038, although she could reduce her time through various programs in the facility.
