California socialite Rebecca Grossman sentenced to 15 to life for ...

11 Jun 2024

Grossman, who co-founded the Grossman Burn Foundation, killed Mark Iskander, 11, and brother Jacob, 8, in a speeding car in 2020.

Rebecca Grossman - Figure 1
Photo NBC News
Rebecca Grossman, center, walks with her family into Van Nuys court in Los Angeles County for the verdict on Feb. 23.Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images file

June 10, 2024, 10:53 PM UTC / Updated June 11, 2024, 1:41 AM UTC

A wealthy California woman who co-founded a burn center foundation in the Los Angeles area was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison Monday for the hit-and-run killings of two children while they were in a crosswalk more than three years ago.

Rebecca Grossman was speeding when she struck and killed Mark Iskander, 11, and his brother Jacob, 8, while they were in a crosswalk in the Los Angeles-area city of Westlake Village on Sept. 29, 2020.

Rebecca Grossman - Figure 2
Photo NBC News

“The loss of these two innocent lives has devastated their family and our community. Ms. Grossman’s blatant disregard for human life is a stark reminder of the grave consequences of irresponsible behavior behind the wheel,” Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement.

A jury convicted Grossman in February on two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and one count of hit-and-run driving resulting in death.

A sign shows an image of Mark Iskander, 11, left, and his brother Jacob Iskander, 8, outside Van Nuys court on April 25, 2022.Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images file

Grossman, now 60, was speeding behind a car driven by her then-lover, former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Scott Erickson, when she fatally hit the boys, prosecutors have said. Erickson was not charged.

Rebecca Grossman - Figure 3
Photo NBC News

Prosecutors had sought a sentence of 34 years to life.

The boys’ mother, Nancy Iskander, told Grossman at Monday’s sentencing that she has shown no remorse to her for killing her two boys, NBC Los Angeles reported.

In a letter to the judge, Grossman said that "I am not a murderer" and that "as God is my witness, I did not see anyone or anything in the road,” the station reported. “I swear to you, I would have driven my car into a tree to avoid hitting two little boys.”

Rebecca Grossman, left, and her daughter walk to Van Nuys court on Feb. 14.Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images file

Grossman co-founded the Grossman Burn Foundation, along with her husband Dr. Peter H. Grossman. The philanthropic foundation is an arm of the Grossman Burn Centers. The Grossman Burn Center was founded by Dr. A. Richard Grossman, Peter Grossman's father.

Rebecca Grossman - Figure 4
Photo NBC News

Allen Castellano, chief of the county sheriff’s North Patrol Division, said in a statement that he hoped the sentence would give the family some comfort.

“This individual showed a complete disregard for the lives and safety of others in our community through her reckless actions, which ultimately shattered a family and robbed two children of their bright futures,” he said.

CORRECTION (June 10, 2024, 9:20 p.m. ET): An earlier version of this article misidentified the organization that Rebecca Grossman co-founded. She co-founded the Grossman Burn Foundation, not the Grossman Burn Center.

Phil Helsel

Phil Helsel is a reporter for NBC News.

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