The mother of Mark and Jacob Iskander said “someone has to be held accountable now” for her sons' deaths.
Saturday 24 February 2024 11:39, UK
A socialite from Los Angeles was found guilty of murder in 2020 after two young brothers were beaten to death.
Rebecca Grossman, Celebrity Wife The Plastic surgeon Dr. Peter Grossman was hit by Mark Iskander, 11, and his brother Jacob, 8, while speeding in Westlake Village on September 29, 2020.
He was found guilty of two counts of second-degree murder and gross vehicular manslaughter, and one count of criminal homicide.
Grossman, 60, faces 34 years to life in prison.
The boys' mother, who attended the court proceedings, said, “I felt like I was attending the boys' funerals all over again day after day.”
“Now someone has been held accountable. Mark and Jacob are not dead, Mark and Jacob were killed,” Nancy Iskandar said after the verdict.
Data from Grossman's white Mercedes showed he was traveling at 81mph before slowing to 73mph less than two seconds before the collision, which set off his airbags.
Before the accident, she had been at a nearby restaurant with her then-boyfriend, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Scott Erickson.
Grossman had one margarita cocktail and Erickson had two, former baseball player Royce Clayton testified, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Her attorneys argued that her car rear-ended Erickson's car and that she was responsible for the boys' deaths.
The Iskandar brothers were crossing a road with their mother Mrs. Iskandar and their younger brother, 5-year-old Zakari, around 7 p.m.
During the trial, three eyewitnesses testified that they saw a white or light-colored vehicle crash into the boys.
Ms. Isklander also testified that the former baseball player's car did not hit her children, but could have hit her and Zachary.
However, Grossman's attorney, Tony Busbee, argued that Erickson's black SUV hit Jacob, throwing him over a curb, then hit Mark, throwing him into the path of Grossman's car, according to the LA Times.
Erickson denied any involvement in the accident. He was originally charged with careless driving, but that was dismissed after he issued a public service announcement, the Times said.
Read more US news:
Man rescued after falling into tunnel
Wendy Williams suffers from dementia
The spaceship touches the moon
Dr. Grossman, medical director of Grossman Burn Centers — which specializes in reconstructive surgery for burn victims — was called to testify during the trial.
She said she and Grossman broke up at the time of the accident and lived separately under the same roof while dating other people.
Dr. Grossman says that in the hundreds of times he's been in the car with his wife, he can't remember her speeding.
