"I know that she killed them" - Former Dodgers pitcher Scott Erickson's alleged ex-girlfriend's trial intensifies as murder victims' mother testifies
Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Scott Erickson was charged with reckless driving in a 2020 incident that left two young children dead. Rebecca Grossman, Erickson's alleged ex-girlfriend is on trial and accused of second-degree murder, vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run as she left the scene.
Prosecutors alleged that Grossman was speeding while driving under the influence of alcohol and valium. They assert that her car hit Mark and Jacob Iskander while they were crossing the street. Their mother, Nancy Iskander, was just ahead of them with her five-year-old son, Zachary.
Scott Erickson was also at the scene and is alleged to have been involved in a street race with Grossman, which caused the crash.
Nancy Iskander provided her testimony on Monday (via Courthouse News Service):
"It’s then that I first saw the racing cars. I put my hand up in the air, but it was two seconds until the black car made it to the crosswalk.
"I still see it in my dreams, the black bumper, coming to kill me and Zachary. I heard a loud noise. It was loud. I don’t know if I have more words to describe it. Then the driver of that car kept going. Then things became quiet. No one stopped. No one tried to help."
Speaking about Jacob, she said:
"He looked like he was fine. I said, 'I’m sure he’s fine.'"
Iskander rushed to her son, Mark:
"There was blood coming out of his mouth," she said. "Every bone in his body was broken. And I knew he died. I knew Mark had died."
Grossman's defense attorneys, led by Tony Buzbee cross-examined Iskander, questioning her memory of events. Iskander stated:
"But I know what I saw. And I care about the lives of my kids. And I know who killed them. I'm the one that loves them most on the face of this earth.
"I was screaming. My kids just died before my very eyes.
"Sir," she said, "I understand what you're here to do. Try to understand. I’m a mother. A car just ran over your two kids. Do you think — I know that she killed them. I love them the most. I know you’re a parent. You have kids. So please understand."
Defense alleges the wrong person is on trial, points finger at Scott Erickson
The defense's case in Rebecca Grossman's trial is that the police investigation was sub-par and that the wrong person was on trial. Lawyer Tony Buzbee told the jury that the police should be prosecuting Scott Erickson:
“The police are prosecuting the wrong person. Mr. Erickson stopped his vehicle, he hid in the bushes, watching what the police were doing. He went to Mr. Grossman’s house and said some very inflammatory things, and then went home.”
Buzbee said that Erickson's car hit the boys and then Grossman hit them just afterward.
"Two cars, or perhaps three, hit those little boys," said Buzbee.
He also stated that the investigation into the deaths was sub-par:
“The investigation in this case was absolutely terrible."
With the trial ongoing, it will be interesting to see how the defense's case, namely Scott Erickson's alleged involvement, unfolds.