It was a September night in 2020 when Nancy Iskander and her three sons approached a marked crosswalk of their upscale suburban L.A. neighborhood.
As Iskander would later testify, she noticed a black sport utility car rushing towards the Westlake Village intersection because the household crossed. She grabbed her 5-year-old, Zachary, pulling him to security, as a black Mercedes SUV barreled previous.
However one other SUV — a white Mercedes — was following intently behind, Iskander mentioned. Her older sons — 11-year-old Mark and 8-year-old Jacob — have been farther into the intersection, and Iskander mentioned she overlooked them when she jumped out of the best way.
In a matter of seconds, two of her 4 youngsters have been gone. She discovered Jacob close to the curb, his coronary heart nonetheless beating, however mendacity nonetheless, like he was sleeping, she mentioned. Authorities say he was thrown about 50 toes within the collision. He was taken to a hospital, the place he was pronounced useless a couple of hours later. Mark’s physique was 254 toes away, “each bone in his physique … damaged,” Iskander testified.
An indication exhibits a picture of Mark Iskander, 11, left, and his brother Jacob Iskander, 8, exterior Van Nuys Courthouse in 2022.
(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Occasions)
A jury in Van Nuys is now listening to proof within the case in opposition to Rebecca Grossman, the driving force of the white Mercedes, who has been criminally charged within the deaths of the Iskander brothers.
The Los Angeles County district lawyer’s workplace has introduced its case, and the protection will start this week.
Here’s a evaluate of the homicide trial in opposition to the Hidden Hills socialite from the pages of The Occasions:
Rebecca Grossman, co-founder of the Grossman Burn Basis
(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Occasions)
Who’s Rebecca Grossman?
Los Angeles County prosecutors say Grossman was behind the wheel of the white Mercedes GLE 43 AMG the evening of Sept. 29, 2020. Authorities say she was driving as quick as 81 mph and traveled a 3rd of a mile after slamming into the youngsters earlier than her automobile shut down.
Grossman, 60, is charged with two counts of second-degree homicide, two counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and one rely of hit-and-run driving leading to loss of life. If convicted of all fees, she faces 34 years to life in jail.
She is a well known determine in the area people. Grossman based the Grossman Burn Basis together with her husband, Dr. Peter Grossman, whose household created the eponymous famend medical facility.
Who’s Scott Erickson?
Scott Erickson, a former pitcher for the Dodgers, was behind the wheel of the black SUV that sped by means of the intersection the evening the Iskander boys have been killed.
Previous to the crash, Grossman and Erickson had been ingesting cocktails at a close-by restaurant, Julio’s Agave Grill, in line with witnesses. Grossman was separated from her husband, Peter, on the time, and he or she and Erickson, 56, have been having a romantic relationship.
Becoming a member of them was one other retired baseball participant, Royce Clayton, who testified that Erickson drank two margaritas and Grossman one. All of them agreed to satisfy afterward at Grossman’s dwelling and watch a presidential debate, he informed the jury.
Clayton, now the baseball coach at Oaks Christian College in Westlake Village, testified that he by no means went to Grossman’s dwelling as a result of he realized of the crash after talking with Erickson by telephone a couple of hours later. When requested whether or not he was nonetheless buddies with Erickson, who has denied any wrongdoing, the previous All-Star shortstop mentioned, “No.”
“I’ve children. … I simply don’t perceive how he may very well be so negligent and be answerable for operating down children,” Clayton mentioned.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Scott Erickson is seen in 2005.
(Mark J. Terrill / Related Press)
Grossman’s attorneys declare Erickson is accountable for the fatalities as a result of his car struck the boys first — a declare prosecutors say is unfaithful.
Nancy Iskander has testified that Erickson’s black SUV by no means hit her sons — but it surely may have killed her and her youngest son if she hadn’t dived out of the best way and pulled him to security within the bike lane.
“I do know she killed them,” Iskander testified earlier this month, saying she has little doubt it was the white SUV she now is aware of was pushed by Grossman that fatally struck her two sons.
Three eyewitnesses to the lethal crash testified that they noticed one however not each boys hit by the white SUV or a light-colored car.
One other skilled witness testified that Erickson denied hitting anybody that evening however did see the boys and a reflective scooter, which Iskander had mentioned Zachary was using.
Erickson was initially charged with misdemeanor reckless driving after the crash, however that was dismissed after he made a public service announcement concerning the significance of protected driving.
His lawyer, Mark Werksman, mentioned he doesn’t plan to deal with the problems being raised within the Grossman trial, however added, “This will change over the course of the approaching days [or] weeks.”
What have the prosecutors introduced?
Two girls place flowers at a memorial for Mark and Jacob Iskander in Westlake Village in September 2020.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Occasions)
What can we anticipate from the protection?
Grossman’s protection crew, led by Tony Buzbee, is predicted to current its case starting Tuesday and Buzbee has already given a robust indication of his plans.
Buzbee informed jurors in opening statements he would show that Erickson hid in close by bushes after the crash and watched as Grossman was taken into custody.
Alexis Grossman, the defendant’s daughter, is predicted to testify that she got here to the scene, the place she noticed her mom’s automobile and Erickson, a one-time World Sequence winner, lurking close by and watching investigators. She additionally is predicted to disclose feedback he made to her.
The protection is predicted to additional a earlier allegation that Erickson was not driving a black 2007 Mercedes SUV that evening, as he reported to authorities. Buzbee alleged in his opening assertion that Erickson was truly driving a black 2016 Mercedes GL63 AMG, a robust V-8 model of the SUV. Investigators and consultants have already conceded on the witness stand that deputies didn’t look at his car.
Witnesses are more likely to be known as to testify about photographs of the newer car and whether or not it was seen within the rapid aftermath of the deadly crash.
Vital failures in gathering damaged automobile components from Triunfo Canyon Street and procedural failures by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Division are additionally anticipated to be the topic of testimony.
Buzbee will placed on witnesses searching for to undermine the “black field” of Grossman’s SUV — its occasion information recorder — which, in line with investigators confirmed she hit speeds of 81 mph and was touring 73 mph on the time of affect within the crosswalk. In the course of the prosecution’s presentation, Buzbee repeatedly instructed Grossman was going far slower and Erickson was within the quicker car.
Equally, the protection will search to undermine recommendations {that a} optimistic take a look at for Valium and a blood alcohol degree of at or barely beneath 0.08% — California’s authorized restrict — would go away a driver impaired.
