Nancy Iskander’s young sons were killed in 2020 when socialite Rebecca Grossman slammed into them at more than 70 mph in her Mercedes on a residential street.
On Friday, Iskander finally got a taste of justice. Grossman was convicted on two counts of murder, two counts of vehicular manslaughter, and one count of hit-and-run causing death. The Los Angeles jury reached their decision in a little over a day of deliberations.
Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse, Iskander thanked prosecutors for their commitment to finding the truth and expressed her gratitude that the trial was finally over.
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“This trial every day felt like I was attending the funeral of my boys again. That’s how it felt, seeing the defendant and defense attorneys,” she told reporters.
She added that their family had been waiting three and a half years for someone to be held accountable for killing her sons, Mark and Jacob. The guilty verdict restored her faith in the justice system, that even someone as wealthy and connected as Grossman could be held accountable.
“Mark and Jacob didn't die, Mark and Jacob were murdered,” Iskander said. “We have a justice system you can trust from our experience. It’s not a justice system where people get away with things just under the color of their skin or their wealth or anything. You commit a crime, you will be held accountable.”
Grossman, the wife of renowned plastic surgeon Peter Grossman, struck then 8- and 11-year-old Mark and Jacob Iskander as they were crossing in a crosswalk with their mother and another brother. Prosecutors argued that Grossman was under the influence of alcohol and Valium when she speed-raced her then-lover, ex-MLB player Scott Erickson, home from a cocktail date. She reached 81 mph before tapping the brake once, hitting the young boys at 73 mph. Their mother and younger brother were able to jump to safety when Grossman blew through.
Grossman’s defense team tried a variety of arguments, including that the speeding data was inaccurate and that Erickson, not Grossman, was the one who struck the Iskander boys while driving a different vehicle. Those arguments were ultimately rejected by the jury.
Grossman will be sentenced on April 10 and could face life in prison for her actions.
“She killed my kids,” Iskander said of Grossman. “They aren’t at school. They are not playing sports. They are at the cemetery.”
Still, the bereaved mother expressed some surprising sympathy for Grossman, who was led away in handcuffs.
“No one wishes that on anyone,” Iskander said. “I promise I do not have any hate for her.”
Iskander’s husband, Karim, said the verdict was a welcome conclusion.
“We finally can move on. Finally. We have been waiting for the closure.”
