Jury finds Rebecca Grossman guilty on all counts in Iskander boys' deaths
A jury found Rebecca Grossman guilty of two counts of second-degree murder Friday, ending a high-profile trial more than three years after a crash that killed two Westlake Village brothers.
On Sept. 29, 2020, Mark and Jacob Iskander were in a crosswalk with their mom and younger brother when they were struck and killed. Mark was 11. Jacob was 8.
Grossman, of Hidden Hills, was driving 81 mph just seconds before she hit the boys on Triunfo Canyon Road, prosecutors said. The speed limit was 45 mph.
Along with second-degree murder, the jury of nine men and three women found Grossman, 60, guilty of two counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and hit-and-run driving. She faces a possible maximum sentence of 34 years to life in prison.
As the verdicts were read in the Van Nuys courtroom, she sat at a table surrounded by her defense team. In the audience, her daughter, Alexis, cried out, saying, "Oh my God. Oh my God."
The boys' parents, Nancy and Karim Iskander, sat on the other side of the room. Quiet sobs could be heard from their family and friends as guilty pleas were read for every charge.
Later, outside of the courthouse, Nancy Iskander said every day in court had felt like attending her boys' funeral over and over again. The family was now ready to start the healing process, she told reporters. She and her husband thanked prosecutors and jurors for their work.
"Someone is now held accountable," she said. "Mark and Jacob didn't die. Mark and Jacob were murdered."
Grossman taken into custody
As Judge Joseph Brandolino ordered a deputy to take Grossman into custody Friday, one of her attorneys made a motion for her to remain on bail. She has been out of custody on $2 million bail since shortly after her arrest.
The judge denied the motion, saying Grossman had been convicted of the murders of two children.
“Justice can no longer be delayed in the case,” Brandolino said.
Grossman stood up as the deputy put her in handcuffs. Alexis, 19, and her younger brother rushed toward the front of the courtroom in tears as their mom was led away.
"I love you. I love you," Alexis called to her.
She, her brother and their father, Dr. Peter Grossman, held onto one another, standing in the courtroom.
Weeks-long trial ends
The jury had deliberated for roughly nine hours over two days after the weeks-long trial that included testimony from dozens of witnesses and experts.
Prosecutors say Grossman was driving her white Mercedes SUV 73 mph when she struck Mark and Jacob. She didn’t stop until the Mercedes crash safety features cut off the fuel, they said.
Defense attorneys told jurors that a black SUV driven by Scott Erickson, Grossman's then-boyfriend, passed through the crosswalk first. They blamed the former professional baseball player for the crash, saying the black vehicle hit the boys first.
During the trial, lead defense attorney Tony Buzbee repeatedly asked where Erickson was and whether anyone inspected the vehicle he drove that night.
Prosecutors said there was no evidence that Erickson hit the children. In 2021, he was charged with reckless driving, a misdemeanor. The court ordered judicial diversion, and the case was later resolved.
'It will bring me closure'
Outside of the courtroom Friday, deputy district attorneys Ryan Gould and Jamie Castro thanked the jurors for their time and deliberation.
"We're very pleased with the verdict and happy we can give the Iskanders the justice that both Mark and Jacob and their entire family deserve," Gould said.
As Buzbee left the courthouse after the verdicts, he told reporters there would be an appeal. The Grossmans walked away in a group, arms around each other as supporters held up their hands to shield them from the cameras.
Rebecca Grossman's sentencing is scheduled for April 10.
When asked about seeing Grossman handcuffed, Nancy Iskander said no one wishes that on anyone and that her heart broke for Grossman's children.
"It wasn't easy," she said. "But it will bring me closure."
Cheri Carlson covers the environment and county government for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at cheri.carlson@vcstar.com or 805-437-0260.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Jury finds Grossman guilty on all counts in boys' deaths
