A California socialite, who was convicted of killing two young brothers in a high-speed car accident, will remain incarcerated after an appellate court upheld her murder charges.
Rebecca Grossman, a co-founder of the Grossman Burn Foundation, faced a setback when a three-judge panel from California’s Second Appellate District confirmed the jury’s 2024 decision. The verdict found her guilty of murdering 11-year-old Mark Iskander and his 8-year-old sibling, Jacob.
As a result of this ruling, Grossman will continue serving her sentence of 15 years to life in a state prison for the tragic 2020 hit-and-run incident that devastated the victims’ family.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman commented that the decision underscores the legitimacy and fairness of the convictions.
“Rebecca Grossman was justifiably convicted by a jury for the heartless murder of two children. She chose to drive at speeds reaching 81 mph on a residential street after consuming alcohol at a bar, fully aware of the potential lethal consequences,” Hochman stated.
“The legal precedent is unequivocal: Driving at dangerous speeds through a pedestrian crosswalk while intoxicated clearly meets the mental state required for second-degree murder. This case’s resolution highlights that the law is equal for all, and neither wealth nor connections can shield one from being held accountable,” he added.
The case centers on a devastating night in September 2020 in Westlake Village, where the Iskander family was crossing a marked crosswalk on Triunfo Canyon Road.
The boys’ mother, Nancy Iskander, testified during the trial that she heard engines roaring as two vehicles sped toward them.
A California appeals court has upheld Rebecca Grossman’s convictions, rejecting her bid to overturn her two second-degree murder convictions for killing Mark and Jacob Iskander
Mark Iskander was 11 years old when he was killed in the 2020 crash. Jacob Iskander was 8
She grabbed her youngest child and leapt out of harm’s way, but her other two sons Mark and Jacob who were walking just ahead, were struck.
Her next memory, she told jurors, was seeing her sons lying motionless in the road.
Prosecutors said Grossman was driving her Mercedes SUV at speeds reaching 81mph in a 45 mph zone when she plowed through the crosswalk.
Evidence showed she continued driving for roughly half a mile after the impact before her vehicle shut down.
In February 2024, a jury convicted her of two counts of second-degree murder, along with two counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and one count of hit-and-run resulting in death.
Her defense team argued on appeal that the evidence supported, at most, a manslaughter conviction claiming prosecutors failed to prove ‘implied malice,’ a legal standard required for second-degree murder.
But the appellate court rejected that argument, leaving the convictions intact.
At trial, prosecutors had pointed to a pattern of dangerous driving, including a prior warning from a California Highway Patrol officer years earlier after Grossman was cited for speeding at 93 mph. They argued she knew the risks – and ignored them.
Grossman’s Mercedes is pictured after the smash. She kept on driving, despite the obvious damage caused to the car after she struck the boys
A memorial was erected at the scene of the hit-and-run accident where Rebecca Grossman, killed the two brothers in front of their parents in Westlake Village, California in October 2020
Brothers Mark, 11, and Jacob, 8, were crossing a marked crosswalk in Westlake Village with their family when they were struck by Grossman’s Mercedes
Before the tragedy, Grossman had been drinking with her then-lover, former Los Angeles Dodgers’ pitcher Scott Erickson
The wealthy Los Angeles socialite was convicted by a jury in February 2024
Pictured: Grossman’s backyard in the home where she lived with her husband during her murder trial. She is now incarcerated at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla
The prosecution also detailed the circumstances leading up to the crash, alleging Grossman had been drinking earlier in the day and was driving at high speed through a residential area when she struck the boys.
The defense sought to shift blame toward former Major League Baseball pitcher Scott Erickson, who had been with Grossman earlier that day.
Her attorneys argued Erickson’s vehicle may have first hit the children, placing them in the path of Grossman’s SUV.
Erickson was initially charged with a misdemeanor count of reckless driving, but that charge was later dismissed.
Despite those arguments, jurors found Grossman’s actions met the threshold for murder – a conclusion now upheld on appeal.
The case drew intense public attention not only for its tragic facts but also for Grossman’s high-profile life.
Before her arrest and trial, she was known for her philanthropic work and her role in the Grossman Burn Foundation, tied to a network of medical centers founded by her husband, plastic surgeon Dr. Peter H. Grossman.
The family lived in an affluent Hidden Hills neighborhood and moved in elite social circles.
But prosecutors emphasized that status did not shield her from accountability.
The boys’ parents, Mark and Nancy Iskander, were with their boys in the crosswalk when the crash happened, with Nancy managing to pull their youngest child to safety before impact
At sentencing, they argued the force of the crash was so severe it was comparable to a Mercedes falling from a 12-story building – a measure of the violence inflicted on the two boys.
Grossman ultimately received a sentence shorter than the maximum prosecutors sought, a decision that left the Iskander family devastated.
Now, with the appeal denied, the criminal case stands as decided – but the legal fight is not entirely over.
The Iskander family has also filed a wrongful death lawsuit against both Grossman and Erickson in a civil case that remains pending.
