Prosecutors asked a judge to revoke Rebecca Grossman’s $2 million bail and jail her after accusing her of leaking confidential information about her case to a television reporter and trying to influence the jury currently deciding her fate. .
Deputy District Attorney Ryan Gould told Judge Joseph Brandolino that on Thursday the wealthy socialite, accused of murdering two young brothers while speeding in her car, asked for a Fox News reporter’s card at her trial in Van Nuys.
Shortly after, the network aired a story saying it had received material via email, including two videos, alleging that information that could prove his innocence had been withheld from the jury.
This was “a direct violation” of a protective court order the judge issued to exclude certain evidence from Grossman’s six-week trial, Gould said, adding that “it was a deliberate attempt to influence the jury.”
Rebecca Grossman, 62, is charged with murder in the Sept. 29, 2020 crash that killed Jacob Iskander, 8, and his brother Mark, 11. Grossman is seen leaving court Friday.
Prosecutors accused her of leaking confidential information about her case to a television reporter and trying to influence the jury currently deciding her fate.
Grossman’s husband, Dr. Peter Grossman, has been by her side every day of the trial, along with their daughter Alexis.
Defense lawyer John Hobson told the court he knew nothing about the leak, adding that just because a journalist had received an email “did not mean it came from Ms. Grossman.”
He noted that at the beginning of the trial the jury had been warned not to read or watch news stories about the case.
Mark and Jacob Iskander died in the horrific crash on September 29, 2020.
Gould responded: ‘I don’t believe it was the (defense) attorneys who violated the protective order. I think it was Mrs. Grossman.
Judge Brandolino denied Gould’s request to revoke Grossman’s bond and keep her in custody.
But the judge said he would investigate the episode and warned Grossman: “I don’t want to hear anything like this again… you don’t want to end up in custody.”
Despite the judge’s warning, Grossman stood up and blurted out, “May I go on the record…?” before her lawyers subdued her while her husband, Dr. Peter Grossman, yelled “Rebecca” to stop his assault.
Grossman, 62, is charged with two counts of second-degree murder in the tragic deaths of eight-year-old Jacob and 11-year-old Mark Iskander in a marked crosswalk in September 2020.
She faces a maximum sentence of 34 years to life in prison if the jury of nine men and three women now deliberating finds her guilty.
Nancy Iskander was crossing the street with the brothers and their youngest son, Zachary, 5, when they were hit. Nancy and her husband Karim leave court on February 6.
Grossman’s white Mercedes SUV appears in the photo moments after the accident.
Grossman blamed his former lover, former baseball star Scott Erickson, saying his car hit and killed the children after they had been drinking margaritas at lunch. They appear together at a fundraising event in 2020.
While prosecutors accuse Grossman of running over and killing the Iskander boys, her defense team claims it was the black Mercedes SUV driven by her then-boyfriend, former professional baseball player Scott Erickson, 56, whom she had been with. drinking before. On the day of the accident, that was the culprit.
He was charged with misdemeanor reckless driving and his case was resolved in February 2022 when a judge ordered him to make a public service announcement to high school students about the importance of safe driving.
He also faces two additional counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, plus one count of hit-and-run resulting in death.
Grossman, who wore a long gray sweater over a brown jacket and black pants in the cold, air-conditioned courtroom Friday, pleaded not guilty to all charges and has a website proclaiming his innocence, titled The Truth Matters.
Her husband, a plastic surgeon and burn specialist, arrived at court as usual with his wife, who has been free on $2 million bail since her arrest more than three years ago. Her daughter Alexis, 19, was also in court.