Rebecca Grossman ordered to stand trial on murder charges after alleged fatal DUI
LOS ANGELES - The co-founder of the Grossman Burn Foundation, who allegedly ran down two young brothers in a Westlake Village crosswalk and fled the scene, was ordered Thursday to stand trial on murder and other charges.
One of Rebecca Grossman's attorneys argued during a roughly five-day preliminary hearing that the murder charges stemming from the boys' September 2020 deaths should be dismissed.
But Grossman, 58, of Hidden Hills, was ordered by Superior Court Judge Shellie Samuels to stand trial on two felony counts each of murder and vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, along with one felony count of hit-and-run driving resulting in death.
She could face a maximum of 34 years to life in prison if convicted as charged, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
Grossman is due back in court May 20 for a post-preliminary hearing arraignment. She remains free on $2 million bond.
Prosecutors allege that Grossman drove at excessive speeds on Triunfo Canyon Road and struck 11-year-old Mark Iskander and his 8-year-old brother, Jacob, as they were crossing the street with their parents in a marked crosswalk Sept. 29, 2020.
RELATED:
- Rebecca Grossman, accused in DUI crash that killed two boys, testifies in court
- Brothers killed in Westlake Village crash; co-founder of prominent burn center arrested
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.
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 District Attorney's Office.
Grossman was arrested by sheriff's deputies the day of the crash and subsequently released Oct. 1 on bond. She remains free on bond -- with one of the conditions of her bail barring her from driving, according to the District Attorney's Office.
The defendant is the wife of Dr. Peter Grossman, who is the director of the Grossman Burn Center in West Hills and son of the center's late founder, A. Richard Grossman. Rebecca Grossman is co-founder and chairwoman of the Grossman Burn Foundation and the former publisher of Westlake Magazine.