A wealthy California woman who co-founded a burn center in Los Angeles has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for fatally beating two children in a crosswalk three years ago.
On September 29, 2020, Rebecca Grossman hit and killed Mark Iskandar, 11, and his brother Jacob, 8, while they were in a crosswalk in the LA-area town of Westlake Village.
“The loss of these two innocent lives has devastated their families and our community. “Ms. Grossman’s blatant disregard for human life is a reminder of the grave consequences of reckless behavior behind the wheel,” said Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon. said in a statement.
Grossman was convicted by a jury in February of two counts of second-degree murder, manslaughter by two vehicles, grossly negligent driving and driving causing death.
Grossman, now 60, was speeding behind a car driven by her then-boyfriend, former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Scott Erickson, when she fatally struck the boys, prosecutors said. Erickson, not charged.
Prosecutors had sought a sentence ranging from 34 years to life. The 15-to-life sentence handed down by Judge Joseph Brandolino means Grossman will be eligible for parole after 15 years in prison.
The boys’ mother, Nancy Iskandar, told Grossman on Monday that she has shown no remorse for killing her two boys. NBC Los Angeles reported.
In a letter to the judge, Grossman said, “I’m not a murderer,” the station reported, adding, “As God is my witness, I didn’t see anybody or anything on the road. I swear to you, I would have driven my car. The tree to avoid hitting two boys.”
Alan Castellano, chief of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Northern Patrol Division, said in a statement that he hoped the sentence would bring some comfort to the family.
“This man showed complete disregard for the lives and safety of others in our community through his reckless actions, which ultimately shattered a family and robbed two children of a bright future,” he said.
