Rebecca Grossman Sentenced To Prison For Deaths Of Young Brothers

LOS ANGELES, CA — Rebecca Grossman was sentenced Monday to 15 years to life in prison for the high-speed hit-and-run deaths of two little boys in Westlake Village in 2020.

The Grossman Burn Foundation co-founder faced up to 34 years in the high-profile case that pitted community members against one another and involved defense allegations that a former Dodgers player could have been the real killer.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Joseph Brandolino rejected the prosecution's request for the maximum sentence, saying such a lengthy term is "just not warranted here."

The judge called the Sept. 29, 2020, deaths of Mark and Jacob Iskander, aged 11 and 8, an "unimaginable loss," but he noted Grossman's history of philanthropic activity and her lack of any prior criminal record. While conceding that the defendant engaged in "incredibly selfish behavior" after the crash, the judge added, "She's not a monster as the prosecution attempts to portray her."

Grossman, 60, was convicted of second-degree murder vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and hit-and-run resulting in death for striking and killing the Iskander brothers as they crossed the street in a crosswalk with their family.

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 Dodger Scott Erickson, was the one who fatally struck the boys.

SEE ALSO: Grossman Trial: Defense Alleges Dodgers Pitcher Could Be Real Killer

Tears flowed throughout the hours-long sentencing hearing that stretched into early Monday afternoon. Grossman could be seen crying as people spoke during the hearing including a 13-year-old bot who was Jacob Iskander's best friend.

When it was her turn to speak, Grossman turned toward the courtroom audience — including the boys' family — and again fought through tears, saying she wanted the family to know "how sorry I am."

She insisted that she was unable to reach out to the boys' family as the case was pending on the advice of her attorneys, who told her it would amount to "tampering with witnesses."

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"I'm so sorry I wasn't able to reach out to you," Grossman said.

She also insisted that she never saw the boys in the street the night of the crash.

"God knows that I never saw anybody," she said. "I never saw anyone. I believe he knows the truth."

She added that she would have "driven into a brick wall" rather than strike two children. She said the boys' deaths are something she will carry with her "until my dying breath."

The boys' mother, Nancy Iskander, said during the hearing that she disputes Grossman's contention that she was advised by her attorneys not to try to speak to the victims' parents.

She also said she saw Grossman outside the hospital emergency room that night.

"She looked me in the eye!" Iskander said, her voice rising. "You looked me in the eye. You knew they were dying."

Of the defense's request that Grossman's sentences on the murder counts run at the same time if their requests for probation or sentencing on the less serious vehicular manslaughter charges were denied, the woman asked, "Do two children count for one?"

Of the defendant's statement in court, she said, "Mrs. Grossman never said I am sorry for what I did. She only said I'm sorry for what happened to you. That is not an apology."

Iskander called Grossman a coward.

The boys' uncle, Sherif Iskander, was among those calling for the maximum sentence for Grossman, calling her "self-centered," "entitled" and without remorse. But he said outside court that he believed the 15-year-to-life sentence was fair.

Deputy District AttorneyRyan Gould told the Los Angeles Times the prosecution was disappointed with the outcome. “We don’t think the judge gave a sentence that was appropriate, in light of everything that Ms. Grossman continues to do,” he told the newspaper.

One of Grossman's new attorneys, Samuel Josephs, noted that "the pain and the loss in this case is overwhelming," but maintained that what happened was "absolutely a tragic accident."

He said Grossman's actions after the crash were consistent with someone who was in complete shock, and disputed claims that she had no remorse.

The defense attorney called his client a woman who has been committed "to a life of public service" for a very long time.

In their sentencing brief, Josephs and fellow defense attorney James Spertus wrote that Grossman has been "widely recognized for her work at home and abroad," saying she is a "survivor of childhood trauma and abuse" who had an "inner resilience that enabled her to see beyond her circumstances and find a greater purpose in service to others," including helping a young burn victim from Afghanistan to whom she and her husband became legal guardians and leading the Grossman Burn Foundation to help medically indigent and low-income families "connect to life-changing burn resources that would otherwise be out of reach."

TERRI VERMEULEN KEITH, City News Service and Patch staffer Chris Lindahl contributed to this report.