LOS ANGELES – A jury on Friday found Hidden Hills socialite Rebecca Grossman guilty in the deaths of Jacob Iskander, 8, and Mark Iskander, 11, who were hit and killed in a crosswalk in Westlake Village in 2020.
Grossman, 60, was convicted of two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, and one count of hit-and-run driving resulting in death.
Following a six-week trial, the jury deliberated for nearly two days before handing down the unanimous verdict on Friday afternoon at Van Nuys Superior Court. Crying could be heard from both sides of the courtroom when the verdict was read.
Grossman is the co-founder of the Grossman Burn Foundation and the wife of prominent plastic surgeon Dr. Peter Grossman.
On Sept. 29, 2020, the two boys were crossing the street in a marked crosswalk with their parents and siblings at the intersection of Triunfo Canyon Road and Saddle Mountain Drive at around 7:10 p.m. when Grossman struck them, prosecutors said.
The vehicle sped through the intersection and hit the boys “right in front of the parents,” according to the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department. Prosecutors said Grossman was going over 70 mph on a 45 mph street.
The boys’ mother was able to get her two youngest children — including a daughter in a stroller — out of harm’s way, but she couldn’t reach the older boys in time, according to Mirette Fouad, a friend of the victims’ family.
Mark was pronounced dead at the scene. His younger brother Jacob was taken to the hospital and died a few hours later. Mark’s body was found 254 feet away from the crosswalk while Jacob was found about 50 feet away from the crosswalk, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The Mercedes-Benz SUV involved in the crash sustained significant damage to its front end.
Grossman was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol after the crash but has remained free on a $2 million bond.
During the trial, the defense blamed Grossman’s then-boyfriend, Scott Erickson, a former L.A. Dodgers pitcher, claiming it was his car that struck the boys as the couple left a local restaurant in separate cars. Grossman and her husband had been dating other people after deciding to separate at the time.
Prosecutors alleged that after enjoying cocktails, Erickson and Grossman were racing each other on the street. Erickson was driving a black Mercedes SUV just ahead of Grossman’s vehicle at the time of the crash.
A collision reconstruction engineer testified in court that the case had “room for ambiguity” as he couldn’t be certain that just one vehicle had hit the children, rather than two, according to the Orange County Register.
In court, Grossman’s daughter, Alexis Grossman, 19, testified on Feb. 16 that she spotted Erickson hiding behind a tree near the scene of the accident. He was allegedly “poking his head out and looking to see what was going on,” the O.C. Register reports.
Afterward, she claimed Erickson went to her home while angrily shouting, “Why did your mom stop? Why did your mom stop? Why didn’t she just drive home?”
The teen said she could smell alcohol on Erickson and he was “freaking out” while warning her not to tell anyone she had seen him near the accident site. She told jurors that Erickson threatened, “If you do, I’ll ruin you and your family.”
However, L.A. County Sheriff’s Deputy Rafael Mejia testified last month and said he didn’t see any indication that more than one vehicle could be involved when he responded to the scene in 2020, and jurors ultimately agreed.
According to the O.C. Register, Mejia said he smelled alcohol coming from Grossman and contacted a unit to perform a DUI investigation. He found Grossman about three-tenths of a mile away standing outside her SUV.
“She told me that her vehicle was disabled by Mercedes-Benz,” Mejia said. He also told jurors Grossman mentioned she had hit something but she didn’t know what she struck.
Under questioning, Mejia said he didn’t find any debris consistent with a black SUV or any kind of black vehicle.
“We didn’t see any indicators there was another vehicle,” Mejia said, indicating that the debris at the scene indicated a white vehicle had been involved.
According to the Times, the boys’ mother, Nancy Iskander, testified that she heard revving engines and looked up to see a black SUV speeding toward the intersection. She dove out of the way while pulling her younger children to safety.
But she said that a white Mercedes SUV was following closely behind the black car. When it sped through the crosswalk, she said she heard an impact.
“They had so much in front of them,” Nancy said. “So much in this life, all of my hopes, all of my dreams, and they were just taken. If I want to see them, I have to go to the cemetery or just look at their friends and imagine how they would look like.”
Outside the courtroom Friday night, the boys’ parents spoke following the verdict and were visibly emotional.
“Every day in court felt like I was attending the funeral of the boys again,” Nancy said. “We cannot be more thankful. It felt like all the stress of the years and hard work and hope had paid off and someone has now been held accountable. I do not have any hate for [Grossman] and my heart broke for her children. I’m a mother so it wasn’t easy but it will bring me closure.”
“We can finally move on,” said Karim Iskander, the boys’ father. “We have been waiting for closure and for Ms. Grossman to apologize and take responsibility but she just chose to fight to the end which was heartbreaking to see. It allows us to move on and heal and not allow any hatred or loss of peace to affect how we feel. I hope everyone learns from this experience, from both sides. Hopefully, this saves the lives of other kids in the future.”
The Iskander Family’s attorney, Brian J. Panish, responded to the verdict saying, “Once again, the justice system works. The jury heard the evidence and, despite Rebecca Grossman’s vigorous defense, delivered a just verdict for the senseless killing of Mark and Jacob Iskander. This horrific tragedy was 100 percent preventable, and we will continue to pursue the case civilly to ensure that this never happens again to another family.”
Following the guilty verdict, Grossman was handcuffed and immediately taken into custody. Her daughter, son and husband were seen holding on to each other with their heads down as they walked out of the courtroom amid a flurry of photographers following them.
A sentencing hearing will take place on April 10 where Grossman faces up to 34 years to life in prison.