A 'stab in my heart:' Mother of boys killed in crash speaks about Grossman, her sentence
A day after a judge sentenced Rebecca Grossman for killing two Westlake Village brothers, their mother continued to wait to hear real remorse from the Hidden Hills woman, she said Tuesday.
Nancy Iskander wishes she would have asked Grossman in court if she could say she was sorry she killed Iskander's sons, Mark, 11, and Jacob, 8.
“She kept saying, ‘I am sorry for what happened to you. I am sorry for your loss,’” Iskander said of Grossman, 60. “I needed to hear, ‘I am sorry I killed them.’ She didn’t say that.”
On Sept. 29, 2020, Iskander and her family went out to get some fresh air. When they got to a crosswalk on Triunfo Canyon Road, Nancy remembers thinking she wanted to take a picture of the three boys — Mark, Jacob and their brother Zachary, 5 at the time — by the water on the other side of the street.
They started to cross, but Mark and Jacob never made it.
Grossman was driving her white Mercedes SUV 73 mph in a 45-mph zone when she hit the boys in the crosswalk, prosecutors said. After the crash, she didn’t stop until the Mercedes crash safety features cut off the fuel.
Mark likely died within minutes if not seconds, experts said. Jacob was rushed to Los Robles Regional Medical Center and later was pronounced dead.
A loss 'on so many levels'
Along with second-degree murder, a jury found Grossman guilty of two counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and hit-and-run driving. She faced a maximum sentence of up to 34 years to life in prison.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Joseph Brandolino on Monday sentenced her to the 15 years to life on each of the two murder counts and three years on hit-and-run driving; all to run concurrently.
Iskander called the concurrent sentences "a stab in my heart," saying the judge counted the two boys as one.
But Zachary had two older brothers. Now, he has none, Iskander said. Her daughter had three older brothers – Mark, who liked to spoil her, Jacob, her protector, and Zachary, the one who teases her. They were all different, their mom said.
"I feel like the loss is on so many levels," she said.
In court Monday, the judge called Grossman's behavior dangerous. She was reckless and unquestionably grossly negligent, Brandolino said. No penalty will seem harsh enough given the magnitude of the loss, he said. But in this case, a 34 years to life sentence – a term close to those imposed for intentional murder – was not warranted, he said.
Grossman asks boys' mom to stay
During the sentencing, Grossman got up to speak, facing the audience and the boys' parents, Karim and Nancy Iskander. Nancy Iskander stood to leave the courtroom but sat back down when Grossman said, "Please don't leave."
Grossman spoke into a microphone, saying she was sorry. She doesn't know why God did not take her instead. She didn't see anyone, she said of the crash.
Earlier, Iskander had told the court she saw Grossman at the hospital on the night of the crash. She had stepped outside and saw Grossman, who was brought there by police. Grossman looked her in the eye, Iskander said. But she didn't hear remorse from Grossman that night.
Nearly four years later, she did not hear it in court Monday, Iskander said.
“I feel like she’s still not there in terms of admitting guilt – truly being sorry from the heart,” Iskander told The Star Tuesday.
Taking responsibility and expressing remorse would be a big deal, because then Iskander would be able to forgive Grossman, the boys' mom said. Forgiveness would mean she could look past what Grossman has done and see the person she is, Iskander said.
One day, Iskander plans to visit Grossman in prison, and said, maybe then, Grossman will be ready.
Opening a foster family center
The Iskander family has launched a foster family center named for the boys to help children and families. Plans call for the agency to provide training, referral programs, support groups and other resources. Nancy Iskander said she wants to help as many children as possible.
She doesn't know how many people Mark and Jacob could have touched or what they would have done in their lives, she said. But she needs to make up for what they didn't get to do.
"It’s my job," she said.
For more information, visit markandjacobfostercareministry.org or the markandjacobfoundation.org.
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: Boys' mom: Rebecca Grossman has yet to apologize for killing brothers
