The married LA socialite accused of fatally crashing into two brothers was “racing” her MLB player lover after day-drinking at lunch, prosecutors will claim as the trial’s jury selection process began Tuesday.
Rebecca Grossman faces two counts of second-degree murder for allegedly plowing into and killing 8-year-old Jacob Iskander and his brother Mark Iskander, 11, while they crossed a crosswalk in Westlake Village on Sept. 29, 2020.
Grossman, the wife of prominent burn surgeon Dr. Peter Grossman, was driving behind former New York Mets and Yankees pitcher Scott Erickson moments before the crash, according to the LA Times, citing police investigators.
The court will now be allowed to prove to jurors that Grossman, 60, was in the midst of a love affair with Erickson at the time of the crash, according to a recent ruling by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Joseph Brandolino.
Nearly three years after the fatal crash, the prosecution shared the findings of Grossman and Erickson’s relationship, after believing “The defense intends to argue that the black car that is at issue in this particular scenario is not Erickson’s.”
“The people intend to put forth evidence that it was, in fact, Erickson,” LA Prosecutor Jamie Castro told the outlet. “We’re not looking to get into any salacious information.”
The two had allegedly been out drinking cocktails in Westlake Village before getting into their SUVs with Erickson leading, the outlet added.
“The speed was insane,” the boy’s mother, Nancy Iskander, told the outlet. “They were zigzagging with each other as if they were playing or racing.”
The mother said as she noticed the SUVs barreling toward them as she and her three sons crossed the crosswalk.
Iskander signaled for the speeding vehicles to slow down then grabbed her 5-year-old son and dove for safety.
Mark Iskander died at the scene, while his brother died at the hospital a few hours later.
“They didn’t stop before the intersection. They didn’t stop at the intersection. They didn’t stop when an 11-year-old was on the hood of the car. Nobody stopped,” the heartbroken mother told the outlet.
The socialite’s breathalyzer test following the crash showed a blood-alcohol content of 0.076%, according to the LA Times.
A blood sample taken three hours after the crash registered at 0.08%, showing she was illegally over the limit to drive in California.
Erickson, now 55, was charged with a misdemeanor, but his case was resolved when he was ordered to make a PSA for high school students about the importance of driving safely in Feb. 2022.
Erickson’s attorney has been adamant that his client wasn’t racing or driving recklessly and had no involvement in the hit-and-run that killed the boys.
“He wasn’t racing. He’s charged with one count of reckless driving. He wasn’t driving recklessly. He had nothing to do with this accident, really, he didn’t, and any suggestion that he did is just false,” attorney Mark Werksman told the Los Angeles Daily News in Feb. 2021.
“He didn’t witness the accident or have any part in causing it or play any role in it,” Werksman said.
As her case heads to trial, Grossman has insisted her car did not hit the boys and denied driving at 81mph.
Prosecutors also plan to show evidence that Grossman had Valium in her system during the crash, which further impaired her ability to drive — despite no charge of driving under the influence, according to the 2020 police report.
To secure second-degree murder convictions, prosecutors must prove that Grossman was aware that the rate of speed she was driving in a residential area was dangerous to human life.
Robert Apodaca, a former LA County sheriff’s deputy and traffic crashes specialist, will testify to the court that Grossman was driving 71.7 mph when she struck the boys and that the car computer showed 73 mph, according to the outlet.
While under cross-examination during the case’s preliminary hearing, Apodaca said 11-year-old Mark Iskander was struck with such force that he was launched 254 feet.
Apodaca noted that it was the furthest he’d ever known a human to be that violently tossed in a crash, according to the outlet.
She also faces two counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and one count of hit-and-run driving resulting in death.
Grossman, who has been out on a $2 million bond, could face up to 34 years to life in prison if convicted.
