A Hidden Hills woman is facing murder charges because she killed two boys in Westlake Village in September and then fled the crash scene, prosecutors said Wednesday.
According to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office, Rebecca Grossman, the 57-year-old co-founder of the Grossman Burn Foundation, has been charged with two counts of murder and manslaughter. She also deals with one criminal hit-and-run driving that resulted in death.
Pamela Johnson, a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office, said Grossman pleaded not guilty to the charges and that bail amounted to $ 2 million. Grossman posted bail after her arrest Wednesday, Johnson said.
Grossman’s attorney did not immediately return a request for comment.
Prosecutors allege that Grossman drove at excessive speeds on Triunfo Canyon Road in Westlake Village on September 29, killing Mark (11) and Jacob Iskander (8), who were crossing the street in a clear crossroads with their parents that evening. has.
After hitting the boys, prosecutors said, Grossman continued driving until he stopped about a quarter of a mile from the crash scene.
Following the crash, LA County sheriff officials said six family members were crossing the three-way intersection – which has no stop lights – when the mother heard a car chasing them. Both parents reached out to stop their children, but the two boys were too far in the intersection.
One boy died at the scene, while the other child was pronounced dead at a hospital shortly after the crash.
The video of the crash showed a scooter in the street, a helmet and rollerblades on a sidewalk near the crash and a white Mercedes with damage to the front.
The Grossman Burn Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Grossman Burn Centers Inc., which treats burns worldwide. According to the foundation’s website, Grossman has received numerous honors for her work on human rights, domestic violence prevention, and other humanitarian efforts, including the American Heart Assn. See “Woman of the Year” in 2007.
If convicted on all charges, he will be sentenced to a maximum sentence of 34 years in prison.
Times staff writer Faith E. Pinho contributed to this report.