A wealthy and powerful Los Angeles socialite was sentenced Monday to 15 years to life in prison for the deaths of two boys who were crossing the street with their mother and brother.
Rebecca Grossman was convicted Second-degree murder Other charges stem from an accident on Sept. 29, 2020, that killed Jacob Iskander, 8, and his brother, Mark Iskander, 11, while they were crossing the road.
Nancy Iskander, a biotech executive, grabbed her son Zachary, who was 5 at the time, and jumped, but she and her youngest son witnessed the crash.
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Rebecca Grossman, left, and her daughter walk into the Van Nuys Courthouse in West Van Nuys, California. (Irrfan Khan/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Joseph Brandolino rejected a prosecutor’s request to sentence Grossman to 34 years to life in prison, saying such a long sentence was “not justified here.” Fox Los Angeles He called the children’s deaths an “unimaginable loss” but noted Grossman has no criminal or charitable history.
But while Brandolino acknowledged Grossman’s “incredibly selfish behavior” after the accident, he said he was “not the monster that the prosecution is trying to portray here.”
“The loss of these two innocent lives is devastating to their families and our community. Mr. 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.
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Photos of Mark Iskander, 11, left, and his brother, Jacob Iskander, 8, are displayed outside the Van Nuys courthouse during a preliminary hearing for Rebecca Grossman, who faces murder and other charges in a Westlake Village crash in which Grossman’s Mercedes struck and killed the boys in a crosswalk. (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
“Our office has pursued this case with the intention of seeking justice for the victim and her family and a sentence commensurate with the seriousness of the crime. We will continue to support the victim’s family during this difficult time,” he added.
Prosecutors told Fox News Digital that Grossman, 60, had prescription drugs and alcohol in her system at the time of the crash in 2020. Grossman, who was married to prominent Los Angeles surgeon Dr. Peter Grossman, was racing the boyfriend of former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Scott Erickson on her way home from a restaurant. The two were driving a Mercedes-Benz SUV at more than 70 mph.
Nancy Iskander previously said Grossman expressed no remorse, and prosecutors said he never returned to the scene or helped the boys.
“I am not a murderer and I ask that you acknowledge that truth,” Grossman wrote in a letter to the judge. “My suffering, my awareness of the suffering the Iskandar people are enduring, and the suffering I have seen my family endure is a punishment I have already received and will continue to receive for the rest of my life. I ask that you take this suffering into consideration when further considering what punishment to impose on me in this case.”
Mark and Jacob Iskander were killed when Rebecca Grossman was speeding through a crosswalk in 2020 as she was rushing home from a booze-filled date. (Nancy and Karim Iskander)
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Grossman has already served 111 days in prison and paid about $50,000 in restitution.
Fox News Digital’s Michael Lewis contributed to this report.
