Socialite sentenced for speeding through crosswalk, fatally hitting young brothers, and driving away

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. (TCN) -- The wife of a prominent plastic surgeon will spend 15 years to life in state prison with the possibility of parole for speeding through a crosswalk and fatally hitting two young brothers in 2020.

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced the sentencing against Rebecca Grossman on June 10. A jury convicted Grossman in February of felony murder and vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence in the deaths of 11-year-old Mark Iskander and 8-year-old Jacob Iskander, as well as one felony count of hit-and-run driving resulting in death. Grossman will also have to pay $47,161.89 in restitution to the victims.

In a statement, Gascón voiced his disappointment with Grossman’s sentence and said, "While we respect the judicial process, we are deeply disappointed with the outcome of today’s sentencing. Our office recommended that Ms. Grossman be sentenced to 34 years to life in prison."

According to the Lost Hills Station of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, on Sept. 29, 2020, at approximately 7:10 p.m., Grossman struck the two juveniles while they were crossing the street. One was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other died hours later at a local hospital.

Prosecutors said the two boys were walking in a marked crosswalk with their parents at the time. After hitting the children, Grossman continued driving but eventually stopped a quarter of a mile away after her car engine cut off.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office Lost Hills Station posted a photo of Rebecca Grossman’s vehicle after the fatal hit-and-run.

Grossman, who KTLA-TV reports is the co-founder of the Grossman Burn Foundation and the wife of prominent plastic surgeon Dr. Peter Grossman, addressed a letter to the judge before her sentencing, requesting mercy. In it, she reportedly wrote, "I swear to you, I would have driven my car into a tree to avoid hitting two little boys."

According to KNBC-TV, prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memorandum that Grossman showed no remorse and tried to blame the victims, "arguing that they were out of the crosswalk, jetted out in front of her car, and that their mother was careless in walking with her children across the street when it was starting to get dark outside."

Grossman also reportedly placed the blame on her ex-boyfriend, former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Scott Erickson, claiming he struck the victims first. The couple allegedly left a local restaurant in separate cars that evening, KTLA reports. Grossman and her husband were reportedly dating other people at the time.

However, according to KNBC, prosecutors argued Grossman was under the influence of alcohol and Valium when she drove between 73 to 81 mph in a 45 mph zone and struck the children.

The victims’ mother reportedly told reporters outside the courthouse the trial "wasn’t easy, but it will bring me closure."

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