With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
Rebecca Grossman, co-founder of Grossman Burn Center, sentenced to 15 years in prison for killing 2 boys

Grossman Burn Foundation co-founder Rebecca Grossman was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison with the possibility for parole on Monday for killing two young boys in a car crash in Westlake Village.
Grossman was traveling 81 mph when she struck and killed 11-year-old Mark Iskander and his 8-year-old brother Jacob in a marked crosswalk in 2020. The case, which saw repeated attempts from Grossman and her defense to shift blame in the killings, ended with her conviction of second-degree murder, vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run in February.
Grossman's legal team had sought to blame her ex-boyfriend, Scott Erickson, who they alleged actually struck the boys first in his black SUV. But jurors rejected that argument.
Grossman, who is about to turn 61, has remained in custody since the verdict after the judge rejected a request for her to remain free in lieu of a $2 million bond before being sentenced.
On Monday, the court heard emotional victim impact statements from Nancy Iskander, the boys’ mother, and other family members ahead of sentencing. "She is a coward," Nancy Iskander said, directing her words at Grossman, according to the L.A. Times.
The boys’ grandmother, Joyce Ghobrial, told the court: "I am just living the rest of my life to die grieving."
Prosecutors had asked that Grossman be sentenced to 34 years to life, the maximum allowable, writing in a memorandum that she has consistently shown a lack of remorse and is “more than deserving” of the highest term for the deaths of Mark and Jacob Iskander.
Grossman must also pay more than $47,000 in restitution to the Iskander family.

In a letter to the court ahead of the sentencing hearing, Grossman maintained that she is “not a murderer,” despite her conviction, adding that prosecutors distorted the facts of the hit-and-run case throughout the trial.
Last week, Grossman's attorneys, James Spertus and Samuel Josephs, called it “a terrible accident,” but that it did not warrant what could effectively be a life sentence “or the type of lengthy prison term reserved for the most callous, heinous crimes."
L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón disagreed, saying he was deeply disappointed in the outcome of the sentencing hearing.
“Our office recommended that Ms. Grossman was sentenced to 34 years to life in prison,” he said. “The loss of these two innocent lives has devastated their family and our community.”
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.

-
Doctors say administrator directives allow immigration agents to interfere in medical decisions and compromise medical care.
-
The Palisades Fire erupted on Jan. 7 and went on to kill 12 people and destroy more than 6,800 homes and buildings.
-
People moving to Los Angeles are regularly baffled by the region’s refrigerator-less apartments. They’ll soon be a thing of the past.
-
Experts say students shouldn't readily forgo federal aid. But a California-only program may be a good alternative in some cases.
-
Distrito Catorce’s Guillermo Piñon says the team no longer reflects his community. A new mural will honor local leaders instead.
-
The program is for customers in communities that may not be able to afford turf removal or water-saving upgrades.