Rebecca Grossman murder trial: Boys' mother testifies about finding sons after fatal crash

Nancy Iskander heard and saw two SUVs racing toward her and her three sons in a Westlake Village crosswalk at an "insane, crazy" speed on Sept. 29, 2020.

One was black and one was white, Iskander testified Monday in the Rebecca Grossman murder trial. The black SUV got to the crosswalk on Triunfo Canyon Road first. Headed at her and her youngest son, Iskander grabbed her 5-year-old and dove out of the way, she said.

“I still see it in my dreams — the black bumper coming to kill me and Zachary,” she said, on the stand in a Van Nuys courthouse.

She then looked up and saw the white SUV go through the spot where her other two sons had just been — Mark, 11, on a skateboard, and Jacob, 8, on rollerblades.

She couldn’t see the boys, Iskander said. She started to scream.

The boys' mother was the prosecution's first witness in what is expected to be a weeks-long trial. Prosecutors say Grossman was driving her white Mercedes SUV 73 mph when she struck Mark and Jacob. The speed limit was 45 mph. Then, they say, Grossman did not stop until her vehicle's safety features cut the fuel because her airbags had deployed.

Grossman, 60, of Hidden Hills, faces two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run driving. She has pleaded not guilty to all counts.

Her defense team has blamed another driver for the crash, saying the boys were hit by multiple vehicles. They also say Mark and Jacob were not in the crosswalk when they were struck.

Iskander: 'I knew Mark died'

On Monday, Nancy Iskander testified she was “100%” sure the four of them were in the crosswalk. Mark and Jacob were just behind her and Zachary, she said.

The Iskander family had left home to get some fresh air that day, she said. The boys were all on wheels with Zachary on a scooter. Their mom was on her rollerblades, and their dad had jogged ahead pushing the youngest, a baby girl, in a stroller.

After the crash, Nancy Iskander spotted Jacob first.

He was lying on the ground and looked like he was sleeping, she said. When she put an ear to his chest, she could hear his heart beating. Jacob was taken in an ambulance to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

Mark was on the ground farther away. Every bone in his body was broken, his mother said Monday.

"I knew he had died," she said, as she cried on the stand. "I knew Mark died."

The judge asked if she needed a break. She kept going.

Defense: Other cars on the road

Iskander said she saw the black SUV cross the intersection without hitting anyone. The black vehicle was reportedly driven by Scott Erickson, a former professional baseball player.

She then heard a loud crash when the white SUV drove through the area where Mark and Jacob had been, she said.

Later, Tony Buzbee, the lead defense attorney, asked Iskander whether she saw other vehicles go through the intersection when they were crossing. He played a clip of a surveillance video from a spot farther up the street showing multiple vehicles going by.

Iskander said she doesn't remember seeing other cars. She knows there were two speeding vehicles, she said.

Buzbee also asked whether she saw other cars go through after the crash.

“I was screaming,” she said. “My kids just died before my very eyes.”

Clayton takes the stand

Other prosecution witnesses testified Monday that Grossman had at least a half of a margarita at a friend’s home around 5 before heading to a nearby restaurant where she had another margarita.

Royce Clayton, also a former professional baseball player, said Grossman didn’t appear impaired to him before she left shortly before 7 p.m. Earlier, Clayton had met up with Erickson, a longtime friend, at another nearby restaurant. Erickson then invited him to a spot where he was meeting Grossman.

“I guess they were dating,” he said of Grossman and Erickson.

After having drinks, Grossman, Erickson and Clayton had planned to meet at Grossman’s home to watch the presidential debate. All three drove separate vehicles, and Clayton stopped at a grocery store to get some fish.

Asked about the light at that time of day, Clayton described it as bright outside.

Under cross examination, Clayton said he learned about the crash in a phone call with Erickson. Clayton hadn't ended up driving to Grossman's home.

He told Buzbee that he no longer considers Erickson a friend. He didn't understand how Erickson could be so negligent, he said.

“I have kids,” Clayton said.

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: Grossman trial: Mother testifies about finding sons after fatal crash