LA socialite Rebecca Grossman found guilty of murder, manslaughter in 2020 hit-and-run deaths of two young brothers
Rebecca Grossman, a prominent Los Angeles socialite, was convicted of murder and other charges on Friday in connection with the tragic incident where she struck and killed two young brothers crossing the street.
Prosecutors asserted that the 60-year-old was impaired and driving at a high speed in her Mercedes when she collided with Mark Iskander, 11, and Jacob Iskander, 8, at a speed exceeding 70mph. Grossman's defense contended that the event was an accident and claimed that the boys were initially hit by another vehicle.
The jury unanimously found Grossman guilty on all counts related to the 2020 incident: two felony counts each of second-degree murder and gross vehicular manslaughter, as well as one felony count of hit-and-run driving resulting in death. She now faces a sentence of 34 years to life imprisonment.
The murder charges were notable, as reported by the Los Angeles Times, given that Grossman was not additionally charged with driving under the influence. While Grossman's blood alcohol levels were below the legal limit, prosecutors argued that she was impaired due to alcohol and Valium.
"Rebecca Grossman killed these two children, and she committed murder," asserted Jamie Castro, the deputy district attorney, during the trial.
This verdict concludes a lengthy legal battle. The tragic incident occurred on September 29, 2020, in Westlake Village, approximately 40 miles from downtown Los Angeles. The Iskander boys were crossing the street with their family, who were on scooters and skates, around 7 pm when they were struck on Triunfo Canyon Road.
Grossman was driving behind Scott Erickson, a retired Dodgers pitcher whom prosecutors claimed Grossman had been drinking with at a nearby restaurant. According to the prosecution, the two were romantically involved at the time.
Witnesses reported that Erickson, described as speeding, maneuvered around the family while Grossman briefly braked but ultimately hit them. She continued driving until her car stopped due to a safety feature.
"She had a history of speeding. She'd texted about it," Castro emphasized. "She acted with disregard for human life."
During a preliminary hearing, a collision investigator testified that 1.5 seconds before the collision, Grossman was driving at 81mph before braking to 73mph, significantly above the speed limit of 45mph, as previously reported by the LA Times.
Throughout the month-long trial, the prosecution highlighted texts from Grossman to a friend, where she mentioned being distracted by a woman in roller skates—the Iskander boys' mother—crashing on the roadside, diverting her attention "probably one or two seconds longer than I should have." Grossman's attorney, Tony Buzbee, argued that while she was distracted, it didn't mean she hit the boys.
Grossman, who co-founded the Grossman Burn Foundation with her husband Dr. Peter Grossman, pleaded not guilty to the charges. Buzbee maintained that his client was not speeding and consistently blamed Erickson during the trial, arguing that he hit the children first.
"She was not impaired, she was not racing, she was not going the speed that they claim, and she never fled the scene," Buzbee reiterated. He also criticized the police investigation, suggesting it was inadequate.
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