Wealthy Los Angeles socialite and philanthropist Rebecca Grossman appeared in Los Angeles court to be arraigned on murder charges for a hit and run accident that killed two young boys.
On Friday Grossman, 58, appeared in court wearing a mask and a long-sleeve black dress with white checkered stripes with her blonde hair styled in a side-swept ponytail.
She appeared stoic next to her attorney and at one point bowed her head and closed her eyes looking morose.
The socialite faces murder charges for running over and killing two young brothers while allegedly racing in her Mercedes
Grossman pleaded not guilty to all charges, including second-degree murder.
In a statement, Grossman’s latest attorney Tony Buzbee said the 58-year-old has been ‘overcharged’ and said her legal team won’t allow her to be ‘bullied.’
‘The prosecution’s continued insistence on making this a murder case by overcharging my client, a pillar of this community, with murder is nothing more than a transparent effort to force her to plea, Buzbee said. ‘Such acts of gamesmanship impede progress in this important case. We won’t allow Rebecca to be bullied this way.’
Her attorney went on to blame the car accident on a ‘poorly marked, unguarded and unlit’ crosswalk
Grossman appeared stoic next to her attorney and at one point bowed her head and closed her eyes looking morose
Grossman pleaded not guilty to all charges, including second-degree murder, and denied all special circumstance allegations
Grossman appeared before Judge Joseph Brandolino (pictured) on Friday on murder charges for a 2020 hit and run accident
Despite the severity of the crimes she’s accused of the co-founder of the Grossman Burns Foundation has spent nearly two years free on $2 million bails.
She was charged last year with two counts of murder, two counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, and one count of hit-and-run driving resulting in death for a September 29, 2020 crash that killed brothers Mark and Jacob Iskander, 11 and 9, in Westlake Village, California.
The boys were walking with their family at about 7:10 p.m. and crossing a three-way intersection with a marked crosswalk – but no stoplight – when their parents heard a speeding car approaching.
They reached out to protect their children, but could only grab their two other children Zackary and Violet. Mark and Jacob were too far away and were hit by the white Mercedes, police said.
One boy was allegedly carried 100ft on the hood of the car before Grossman braked, at which point he fell off the car and she ran him over again as she fled the scene.
Mark died at the scene and Jacob died in a hospital a few hours later.
Police claim that when the boys were hit by her car, Grossman was driving over the 45mph speed limit and may have been racing with her friend and near-neighbor, World Series-winning pitcher Scott Erickson, 54, while the two were on their way to the same house party.
The Iskanders in their final photo together: parents Nancy and Karim with their sons, Zachary, Jacob, and Mark; and baby daughter, Violet
Mark (left) died at the scene and Jacob (right) died in a hospital a few hours later
The brothers are pictured in these undated school photos. One was declared dead at the scene while the other died in hospital
The Mercedes that struck and killed two brothers. Investigators said street racing may have been involved in the crash, which happened at the intersection of Triunfo Canyon Road and Saddle Mountain Drive
The Iskander brothers had been walking across a crosswalk with their parents and two siblings, Zackary and Violet when they were struck
Karim and Nancy Iskander parents of Mark and Jacob Iskander leave Los Angeles Superior Court in April following a hearing for Rebecca Grossman
Erickson, who won his ring in 1991 with the Minnesota Twins, has been charged with reckless driving but he has not been accused of any other offenses connected with the brothers’ deaths.
With her husband, prominent plastic surgeon Dr. Peter Grossman, 59, Grossman is the founder of the Grossman Burn Foundation and ex-publisher of Westlake Magazine.
But the slow pace of court proceedings — including several hearings where Grossman didn’t show up — have sparked outrage from protesters who believe her wealth and ‘connections’ have kept her out of jail.
Two petitions, claiming to have a combined total of more than 50,000 signatures, have been circulating, calling for Grossman to be locked up.
‘Justice must be served, regardless of Grossman’s financial means, status, privilege, and connections,’ declared one.
At a hearing in March, Judge Shellie Samuels apologized to the victims’ parents, Nancy and Karim Iskander, for the many continuances and postponements in the case, the most recent of which was Grossman’s need to look for and hire a new lawyer after her previous attorney fell ill.
‘This case has taken way too long,’ said the judge. ‘I do apologize for the delays.’
It wasn’t the first time that Judge Samuels has expressed sorrow over the many holdups in the case against Grossman.
At a hearing last December, the judge also said that the victims’ parents have been enduring ‘torture and heartbreak’ while the case drags on.
On September 14, Samuels blasted Grossman for not showing up at her previous five scheduled court appearances, all of which were continued.
‘We can’t keep continuing this. This is a serious case. These victims lost two children. It’s detrimental to them that this is taking so long. The family is suffering.
Grossman lives in a $9.5 million, nine-bed, 12-bath mansion, in nearby Hidden Hills, on the same street as Full House actress Lori Loughlin.
According to its website, the Grossman Burn Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Grossman Burn Centers Inc, which treats the victims of severe burns all over the world.
Grossman has also been involved in other humanitarian causes, including the prevention of violence against women, human rights, and the American Heart Association, from whom she won a ‘Woman of the Year award in 2007.
