LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – The mother of two boys hit and killed by California socialite Rebecca Grossman is expressing her disappointment in Grossman’s recent sentencing.
Grossman, 60, was found guilty in February of 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 in connection with the collision that killed Jacob, 8, and Mark Iskander, 11, on Sept. 29, 2020.
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The co-founder of the Grossman Burn Foundation and wife of prominent plastic surgeon Dr. Peter Grossman had written a letter to the judge from jail ahead of her sentencing pleading for mercy.
On Monday, Grossman was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison. She could be eligible for parole in as little as nine years.
Rebecca Grossman, left, and her daughter head to Van Nuys Courthouse West Van Nuys on Feb. 14, 2024. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Prosecutors had sought the maximum sentence, which was more than twice what she received.
The surprising sentence reopened old wounds for the boys’ mother, Nancy Iskander.
“It was the hardest day of the whole trial,” Iskander said. “I would compare Monday to September 29, 2020, almost to the same extent of pain.”
In an interview at the family home Wednesday, Iskander told Nexstar’s KTLA that the sentence handed down by the judge was not severe enough and did not honor the life of both her boys.
“He counted them both as one,” Iskander said. “They were two, I promise. They were two.”
Mourners gathered at a makeshift memorial on Sept. 30, 2020, for Jacob and Mark Iskander, who died after being struck by a vehicle driven by Rebecca Grossman in Westlake Village. (KTLA)
“All I can say about that is that I hope nine years is enough time for her heart to change. I’m not sure,” Iskander said.
Through a four-year legal ordeal, Grossman has never admitted guilt for running down 11-year-old Mark and 8-year-old Jacob.
Still, through all the trauma and heartbreak, Iskander says she has love for the person who upended her life.
“I serve a God who teaches me to love and I love her, I love her family, I love her kids, she’s a human being,” she said.
Karim Iskander, right, and wife Nancy Iskander, center, arrive for Rebecca Grossman’s sentencing on Monday, June 10, 2024 in Van Nuys. (Getty Images)
Iskander says the woman responsible for the death of her sons has offered to establish a building near her husband’s burn hospital and name it after them.
Nancy says that is not something she is willing to entertain.
“That is not something I would accept from her at all,” Iskander said. “She does not get to honor their memory. I’m sorry, that I cannot allow.”
Instead, the Iskander family has created their own foundation to honor Jacob and Mark; Nancy hopes it will be a fitting tribute and do some justice in honoring their memory.
“It goes through my mind every day, are they proud? Are they looking down and proud of me? Or no? It’s so important, and I can’t ask them,” she said.
