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 on Monday for the hit-and-run deaths of two children in a crosswalk more than three years ago.
Rebecca Grossm
an was speeding when she struck and killed Mark Iskander, 11, and his brother Jacob, 8, while they were in a crosswalk in Westlake Village on September 29, 2020.
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 stated.
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.
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, according to prosecutors. Erickson was not charged.
Prosecutors had sought a sentence of 34 years to life.
During Monday's sentencing, the boys’ mother, Nancy Iskander, told Grossman that she has shown no remorse for killing her two sons, NBC Los Angeles reported.
In a letter to the judge, Grossman wrote, "I am not a murderer" and claimed, "as God is my witness, I did not see anyone or anything in the road. I swear to you, I would have driven my car into a tree to avoid hitting two little boys."
Grossman co-founded the Grossman Burn Foundation with her husband, Dr. Peter H. Grossman. The philanthropic foundation is an arm of the Grossman Burn Centers, originally founded by Dr. A. Richard Grossman, Peter Grossman's father.
Allen Castellano, chief of the county sheriff’s North Patrol Division, expressed hope that the sentence would provide some comfort to the family. “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.
The Associated Press contributed.
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