Photo: Youtube / GoFundMe
The case has been delayed for over a year.
By Nia Tipton — Written on Dec 31, 2021
Wealthy Los Angeles socialite and philanthropist Rebecca Grossman, who is accused of running over and killing two young brothers in 2020 while reportedly racing in her Mercedes, has yet to attend a preliminary hearing for the crime after multiple delays.
Despite having 5 scheduled hearings over the past year, the case has continued to face postponements, leaving the parents of 11-year-old Mark and 9-year-old Jacob Iskander in agony — all while Grossman remains free.
Grossman is accused of killing the two boys in a hit-and-run in September 2020.
According to a civil lawsuit filed by Mark and Jacob's parents, the boys were crossing the street in a crosswalk with their parents along with two younger siblings when two cars approached them "at unbelievable speeds."
While the boys' parents and two youngest siblings were barely able to make it out of harm's way, both Mark and Jacob were hit.
“I looked back — and Zachary, too — turned around to see the other car come and take them,” their mom, Nancy, told The Acorn.
According to the boys' father, Jacob had been thrown 50 steps away from the point of contact while the force of the impact left Mark "a football field’s length down the street."
Grossman and the other driver, former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Scott Erickson, fled the scene, but were later identified.
"After allegedly striking the children, Grossman allegedly continued driving, eventually stopping about one-quarter mile away from the scene when her car engine cutoff," the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said.
Grossman was charged with two felony counts each of murder and vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and one felony count of hit-and-run driving resulting in death.
After several trial delays, Grossman remains free on a $2 million bail.
Despite not showing up for 5 scheduled court appearances, Grossman remains free.
When the woman finally appeared in court on December 1, 2021, over a year after the hit and run, the preliminary hearing was delayed yet again because her lawyer was sick.
Judge Shellie Samuels criticized Grossman for the delays.
“It’s been a year and two months since it happened," Samuels said. "The victims’ family needs this case to go forward.”
Judge Samuels ordered Grossman to find a new attorney who would be prepared for the preliminary trial and make the case a "priority no later than March" 2022.
Grossman is scheduled to appear back in court on January 9, 2022, when Judge Samuels urged Grossman to have her and her new attorney there.
It’s then that Judge Samuels will decide if Grossman will be ordered to stand trial or not.
If she is convicted as charged, Grossman could receive a sentence of up to 34 years to life in state prison.
This is not Grossman's first speeding accident.
Prior to being involved in the hit-and-run of the young Iskander boys, Grossman was involved in another speeding accident.
Jeffrey Hammer claimed Grossman ran a red light while driving 65 miles per hour in a 40 mile per hour zone and crashed into the back of his car.
Eventually, insurers found Grossman and Hammer were both at fault for the accident, but Grossman later launched a personal injury lawsuit against the then 60-year-old man, despite telling police at the accident scene that she wasn't injured.
The insurance company paid out $100,000 in a settlement with Grossman, including compensation for her alleged injuries and about $15,000 for repairs to her Mercedes.
A memorial service was held for the two boys in October 2020.
Mark's third-grade teacher Kristen Rowlands remembered the young boy as having an "outgoing passion" paired with "smarts," adding that his younger brother was full of confidence and "so much joy.”
A petition was started after the Iskander boys’ deaths, urging that Grossman be “prosecuted and sentenced to the fullest extent of the law and that she face serious consequences for her actions that took away the lives of Mark and Jacob."
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Follow her on Instagram.