Rebecca Grossman found guilty on all counts in 2020 Westlake Village crash that left 2 boys dead
LOS ANGELES - Rebecca Grossman has been convicted of second-degree murder and other charges for the tragic 2020 crash in Westlake Village that left two young brothers dead.
Grossman, 60, was found guilty on all five counts, including two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and hit-and-run resulting in death.
The nine-man, three-woman jury reached its verdict on the second day of deliberations, mulling the evidence for a total of about nine hours before rejecting a defense contention that Grossman's then-boyfriend, former Dodgers Scott Erickson, was the one who fatally struck 11-year-old Mark Iskander and his 8-year-old brother, Jacob, on Sept. 29, 2020.
The sentencing for Grossman is set for April 10, and she faces a potential prison term of 34 years to life. Despite the possibility of an appeal, she was taken into custody after the verdict was announced.
In the courtroom, the emotional moment of the verdict was accompanied by reactions from both sides. Grossman's 19-year-old daughter exclaimed in shock, while her son shook and sobbed. On the other side, the Iskander family expressed relief and closure after a long and challenging trial. They shared their gratitude for the prosecution's dedication to seeking justice.
Speaking to reporters outside court, Nancy Iskander said she bears no hatred for Grossman, saying her heart breaks for the defendant. She also said that coming to court every day for the trial was like attending her sons' funeral again.
"It (the trial) wasn't easy, but it will bring me closure," she said.
She praised the prosecutors who handled the case.
"They worked tirelessly, three and a half years. They went above and beyond," she said. "They only cared about the truth. They wanted to tell the truth. They worked against some of the most evil defense attorneys.
"... We are now ready to start our healing process. And we're trusting the justice system. We have a justice system you can trust. From our experience, it's not a justice system where people get away things based on the color of their skin or their wealth or anything. If you commit a crime, you will be held accountable, so we're very thankful and it's now time to do good in the name of Mark and Jacob."
Legal experts noted that the jury's quick verdict was not surprising given the compelling evidence presented during the trial. The defense's attempts to shift blame onto another individual were deemed ineffective, as there was no substantial evidence to support their claims.
Prosecutors argued during the trial that Grossman and Erickson had been out for drinks earlier that evening and were heading toward her nearby home in separate vehicles when Grossman's white Mercedes-Benz SUV struck the boys while they were crossing Triunfo Canyon Road with their parents in a marked crosswalk.
Sheriff's officials said six family members were crossing the three-way intersection -- which does not have a stoplight -- in the crosswalk when the mother heard a car speeding toward them and both parents reached out to protect two of their children, but the two boys were too far out in the intersection and were struck.
The older boy died at the scene and his 8-year-old sibling died at a hospital.
(L) 11-year-old Mark Iskander and his 8-year-old brother, Jacob (R).
Grossman allegedly continued driving after striking the boys, eventually stopping about a quarter-mile away from the scene when her car engine stopped running, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
Grossman's attorneys insisted during the case that it was Erickson who struck the boys first with his black SUV. Erickson was never called to testify in the case.
Grossman's lead attorney, Tony Buzbee, said outside court the verdict was unexpected but he plans to appeal citing what he believes were errors during the trial.
Buzbee kicked off his closing argument Wednesday by asking jurors, "Where is Scott Erickson? Where is the guy?" in the first of repeated references to Erickson, whom the prosecution said was Rebecca Grossman's boyfriend at the time.
He told jurors that "Erickson hit the kids first," and questioned why the prosecution hadn't called the ex-baseball player during the case.
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Prosecutors countered that there was "not a shred" of evidence that Erickson struck the children, with Deputy District Attorney Ryan Gould calling that a "ridiculous theory."
The deputy district attorney told jurors that the defense has the same right to bring people into court, prompting Grossman's attorney to quickly object that the defense "was not able to do that."
The prosecutor said Grossman hit the children as they were in a marked crosswalk and had a "duty to stop," but "never returned" to the scene. He said debris from the crash matched Grossman's white Mercedes-Benz SUV.
Photo from the scene of the Sept. 29, 2020 crash in Westlake Village that killed 11-year-old Mark Iskander and his 8-year-old brother, Jacob. (FOX 11)
The deputy district attorney said that Grossman was "driving too fast," "knew that speed kills" and was "impaired."
Grossman lied about how many alcoholic beverages she consumed, according to the prosecutor, who acknowledged that a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy who performed a field sobriety test on Grossman had "made mistakes."
The prosecutor questioned whether it would be worse if the woman was sober when she made the decision to speed, saying that she was "flooring it."
The prosecution alleged that Grossman was speeding at 81 mph in a 45-mph zone just seconds before impact, and that data from the vehicle's so-called black box showing that she was driving 73 mph at the time of the crash was reliable.
Rebecca Grossman's white Mercedes-Benz SUV following the crash. (Credit: Lost Hills Sheriff's Station)
In her closing argument Wednesday, Deputy District Attorney Jamie Castro told the jury that Grossman "continued driving as far as her car would let her" before the vehicle's engine cut off about one-third of a mile away.
But Grossman's lead attorney had told jurors in his closing argument that Grossman was traveling at 54 mph "at best" and that she didn't know why her airbags had deployed. He said the vehicle rolled to a stop after the collision, and disputed the prosecution's contention that she was impaired and fled the scene.
Rebecca Grossman, left, and daughter heads to Van Nuys Courthouse West Van Nuys, CA. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Buzbee alleged that authorities failed to properly investigate the crash and determine who actually hit the boys.
He called the case a "rush to judgment," saying they "put their blinders on" and didn't consider that anyone else might be responsible for the crash.
Again referring to Erickson, the defense attorney noted that "You couldn't keep me away from this courthouse" to clear his own name if someone were accusing him.
FOX 11's Susan Hirasuna was that reporter and talked about the situation Thursday evening. Watch in the video below:
A bodycam video that had also been excluded from the trial also wound up on a Facebook page to which Grossman's daughter belongs, according to the prosecutor.
The judge -- who noted that jurors had been admonished not to go on the Internet or view media reports about the case -- declined to immediately order Grossman to be taken into custody. But he warned the defendant that she cannot provide evidence to reporters, telling her, "You just can't do it. ... You don't want to end up being remanded."
The jury got the case against Grossman shortly after 10 a.m. Thursday after hearing a rebuttal argument from the prosecutor, who urged the jury to "hold the defendant responsible for murdering Mark and Jacob."
At the end of the day Thursday, the jury asked to hear a read-back of trial testimony that centered on the placement of the pedestrians in the crosswalk, the position of the vehicles as they approached the crosswalk and what the victim's mother, Nancy, saw and heard immediately before, during and after she jumped out of the way with her youngest son to avoid being hit by the black SUV before Grossman's white Mercedes-Benz SUV passed through the crosswalk. The defense contended that the boys were not in the crosswalk when they were struck.
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Jurors also asked to re-hear former Major League Baseball player Royce Clayton's response to Buzbee's question about why he and Erickson are no longer friends.
"I have kids ... I just don't understand how he could be so negligent and be responsible for running down kids," Clayton said in his testimony Jan. 29. The judge rejected a subsequent effort by Clayton to return to the stand to clarify what he meant.
Looking ahead, the Grossman defense is expected to file an appeal within 60 days. However, the success of the appeal remains uncertain, and it is unclear which law firm will handle the case moving forward.
CNS contributed to this report.