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Background: Police at the scene of the deadly crash where Rebecca Grossman fatally struck brothers Jacob Iskander, 8, and Mark Iskander, 11, with her car on Sept. 29, 2020 (YouTube screengrab/KNBC). Inset: Grossman is seen on Feb. 22, 2024, outside the courthouse in Van Nuys, California, where she faces murder charges in the boys’ deaths (YouTube screengrab/KTLA).
The California woman who fatally struck two young boys with her car as she sped through a residential neighborhood has been convicted of murder and other charges in the deaths.
Rebecca Grossman, 60, The co-founder of the Grossman Burn Foundation, was convicted of two counts each of second-degree murder and vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and one count of hit-and-run resulting in death in the killings of Jacob Iskander, 8, and Mark Iskander, 11. She faces up to 34 years to life in state prison when she is sentenced on April 10.
Their mother, Nancy Iskander, told reporters after the verdict that attending the court proceedings “felt like I am attending the funeral of the boys again, day after day,” The Associated Press reported. “Someone is now held accountable. Mark and Jacob did not die, Mark and Jacob were murdered.”
In a statement, the district attorney’s office commended the jury for its ruling, the AP said.
“This decision underscores our commitment to holding accountable those who drive with total disregard for human life,” the statement said. “We know that this guilty verdict can never replace their lives, but we hope it may provide some peace for the Iskander family as they continue a lifelong journey of healing from this tragedy.”
Outside court after the verdict, Grossman’s lead attorney, Tony Buzbee, said the outcome was unexpected and he would appeal, saying, “There’s a lot of errors in the case,” City News Service reported.
As Law&Crime previously reported, the two brothers were killed when Grossman hit them with her car as they crossed the street at a marked crosswalk in their Westlake Village neighborhood on Sept. 29, 2020. Westlake Village is a Los Angeles-area city in the San Fernando Valley, about 35 miles northwest of downtown LA.
At the time, Grossman was allegedly engaging in a “high-speed game of chicken” with former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Scott Erickson when she reached speeds of over 80 mph — more than twice the legal speed limit of 45 mph. She allegedly kept driving after striking the children, only coming to a stop a quarter-mile away because her engine cut off, authorities said. It was initially reported that she carried one of the boys on the hood of her car for more than 100 feet and then, after hitting the brakes, ran over him as she left the scene.
At a preliminary hearing, a sheriff’s deputy testified that Mark was thrown 254 feet. Evidence at that hearing also revealed that Grossman had reached 81 mph about a second and a half before hitting the boys.
Jurors convicted Grossman on Friday after two days of deliberations. The case went to the jury in Van Nuys, California, on Thursday after six weeks of trial.
In court, as the verdicts were being read, Grossman’s daughter, Alexis, repeatedly said, “Oh my God,” as her teenage brother shook after the verdict, CNS reported. Sheriff’s deputies stopped them as they tried to move toward their mother after she was handcuffed.
“I love you,” the daughter repeated, the wire service reported.
Grossman’s high-profile attorney lead attorney, Buzbee, defended Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in his impeachment trial for alleged corruption. According to the Los Angeles Times, Buzbee presented defense experts who testified that Grossman was traveling at 52 mph and argued that Erickson, who drove his black SUV through the crosswalk before Grossman, was the first to strike at least one of the boys.
Prosecutors argued that Grossman had cocktails with Erickson before racing him along the road where the fatal crash ultimately occurred. Deputy District Attorney Jamie Castro said that Grossman knew her actions could be deadly.
Grossman is the wife of Peter Grossman, a plastic surgeon, and a co-founder of the nonprofit Grossman Burn Foundation, which, according to its website, aims to “promote effective, sustainable partnership solutions for the comprehensive treatment, care, and support of burn survivors and their families in the United States and around the world.”
Law&Crime’s Jason Kandel contributed to this report.
