Socialite Faces Trial in Crash that Killed 2 Brothers — and Authorities Allege She Was Street-Racing Ex-MLB Star

Rebecca Grossman is charged with two counts of murder and vehicular manslaughter

A Los Angeles socialite is set to go on trial for murder, a little more than three years after she allegedly struck and killed two young boys who were crossing the street with their parents and brother.

Rebecca Grossman was charged with two counts of murder and vehicular manslaughter in 2020 after authorities allege she struck Mark, 11, and Jacob Iskander, 8, before speeding away in September of that year, PEOPLE previously reported.

Subsequently, it has been reported that authorities have claimed Grossman was racing former Major League Baseball pitcher Scott Erickson just prior to the alleged hit-and-run, according to the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles magazine and ABC 7.

The Times reported that Grossman’s attorney, Tony Buzbee, who once ran for mayor of Houston, argued in court this week that police never inspected Erickson’s car, which Buzbee claims crossed through the crosswalk seconds before Grossman.

Related: Nonprofit Founder Charged with Murder After Allegedly Killing 2 Boys in Hit and Run

Erickson was charged with misdemeanor reckless driving, the paper reported, and his case was resolved in 2022 after a judge ordered him to make a public service announcement about the importance of safe driving. He denied any wrongdoing, reported the Times.

“Why would law enforcement not look at this vehicle that he was driving that night?” Buzbee asked, according to the report from the Times. “Why wouldn’t they, especially when you had a witness, the first witness that provided a witness account, said there were two collisions three to five seconds apart? Why wouldn’t they go look at his vehicle?”

Los Angeles magazine and the Times both reported that Erickson and Grossman had been drinking together at a restaurant earlier that day, citing sheriff’s deputies.

Buzbee criticized the media's coverage of the case in an Instagram post.

“Rather than identify all cars involved and question the drivers, the police instead put together a quick and convenient narrative that the press ran with,” Buzbee wrote. “The actual witnesses who have been questioned and who will testify don’t support this false narrative, at all.”

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Tuesday marked the first day of jury selection for the trial, the outlets reported. That process is expected to continue into next week.

Grossman and her husband, a well-known plastic surgeon, are the founders of the Grossman Burn Foundation, which seeks "to promote effective, sustainable partnership solutions for the comprehensive treatment, care, and support of burn survivors and their families in the United States and around the world," according to the organization's website.

Erickson pitched in the Major Leagues for parts of 15 seasons for the Twins, Los Angeles Dodgers and Baltimore Orioles, among other teams.

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