Testimony in Wrongful Death Case of Young Brothers
Former MLB pitcher Scott Erickson provided testimony this week regarding an incident that occurred in 2020, during which he struck a ball at high speed after noticing two boys in a crosswalk in Westlake Village, moments before they tragically lost their lives.
“I probably accelerated for a couple of seconds to get through, thinking that was the safest way,” Erickson stated on May 13 in a wrongful death trial concerning the deaths of brothers Mark and Jacob Iskander, ages 11 and 8.
On the evening of September 29, 2020, around 7 p.m., the boys were crossing Triunfo Canyon Road with their mother and younger brother. A witness reported seeing a car approaching them at a high speed.
Erickson, driving a black SUV, was the first to reach the crosswalk. Shortly afterward, his then-girlfriend, Rebecca Grossman, allegedly lost control of a white Mercedes and struck the children.
Grossman, who co-founded the Grossman Byrne Foundation and is married to plastic surgeon Dr. Peter Grossman, was reportedly driving at 113 mph in a 45 mph zone when the accident occurred.
Nancy Iskander, the boys’ mother, recounted how she picked up her youngest son and jumped away from Erickson’s SUV, then saw Grossman’s car race past where Mark and Jacob were standing.
During the trial, Erickson indicated he was traveling between 50 and 55 miles per hour. However, when questioned by his attorney, Brian Panish, he admitted that this estimate wasn’t particularly precise.
“So you’re just estimating your speed?” Panish pressed.
“Yes, that’s correct,” Erickson responded.
After going through the intersection, Erickson mentioned heading to Grossman’s nearby home, only to receive a call from her informing him of the tragic event.
“Did you see the boys?” he recalled asking.
He testified that Grossman may have responded with something about “those boys,” though he later acknowledged she could have said, “What boys?” or “Were there any boys?”
Erickson went back to the accident scene, where he stopped while Grossman saw the damaged SUV and called former MLB player Royce Clayton and others.
Erickson also admitted to lying to traffic investigators about how much he had consumed that night and addressed inquiries about swapping license plates between his high-performance 2016 Mercedes-Benz and an older model to avoid registration fees.
He confessed early in the trial that he deleted messages with Grossman after the crash and had not contacted authorities about his involvement until police reached out a week later.
He was uncertain if the WhatsApp messages could hold significant evidence.
Clayton, a former teammate, testified last week that Erickson told him he saw Grossman hitting the boys in his rearview mirror. Clayton noted they had shared margaritas with Erickson and Grossman on the day of the incident.
In 2024, a jury found Grossman guilty of multiple charges, including two counts of felony murder and felony vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, along with a hit-and-run causing death.
WhatsApp exchanges between the two showed reckless coordination of their narratives, as they expressed affection while prosecutors examined the events leading to the crash.
The messages, spanning four years, have become part of the Iskander family’s wrongful death lawsuit, despite Grossman’s defense arguments placing the blame squarely on Erickson.
Grossman’s efforts to overturn her double murder conviction were dashed in March when the California Court of Appeals rejected her last attempt, ensuring she will remain incarcerated for the 15-year sentence.
