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California socialite Rebecca Grossman sentenced to 15 to life for killing 2 kids in crosswalk

A wealthy California woman who co-founded a burn center foundation in the Los Angeles area was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison Monday for the hit-and-run killings of two children while they were in a crosswalk more than three years ago.

Rebecca Grossman was speeding when she struck and killed Mark Iskander, 11, and his brother Jacob, 8, while they were in a crosswalk in the Los Angeles-area city of Westlake Village on Sept. 29, 2020.

“The loss of these two innocent lives has devastated their family and our community. Ms. Grossman’s blatant disregard for human life is a stark reminder of the grave consequences of irresponsible behavior behind the wheel,” Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement.

A jury convicted Grossman in February on 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.

Cossty ,

So she got 15 years to life, for hit and run. What would happen if she acually stopped, called 112, and tried to save those kids?

Dkarma ,

If she called 112 nothing would happen… 112 does nothing in the us

tobogganablaze ,

Depends on your service provider. AT&T will forward 112 to 911, for example.

AnUnusualRelic ,
@AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world avatar

If you’re on a GSM network, it should, as per the GSM standard, route your call to whatever the national emergency system is.

dogslayeggs ,

I guarantee the prosecutor would have plead down the charges to something like only the vehicular manslaughter and not the 2nd degree murder or hit-and-run.

EDIT: Maybe not. She was driving 81mph in a 30mph zone. They definitely wouldn’t have charged her with hit-and-run, but I don’t know if they could plead down the other charges with such gross neglect like that.

TheRealKuni ,

What would happen if she acually stopped, called 112, and tried to save those kids?

She would’ve probably also gotten a DUI, is my guess. Seems like it’s a somewhat common tactic for drunks to flee the scene and sober up so they don’t get the DUI tacked on.

gamermanh ,
@gamermanh@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

Nothing, because we use 9-1-1 for that here

Jokes aside though she’d go to jail for DUI and speeding that badly almost certainly, the kids are dead either way. Probably get something like 10-25 and not 15-life, though

kandoh ,

Testimony disputing the defense’s claim that another vehicle driven by Grossman’s ex-boyfriend Scott Erickson struck the boys first, with witnesses stating Erickson’s black SUV did not hit them.

So she tried to throw her ex under the bus in her defense, but let’s also consider that two people traveling to the same location and back took two separate SUVs instead of coordinating together

toast ,

You can’t carpool while doing crime. Too many witnesses

werefreeatlast ,

Should have used a Tesla. They got the trolley problem solved.

ChillCapybara ,

I hope she gets plowed at 81 mph daily

Wes4Humanity ,

Booooo

brbposting ,

‘murca has near infinite problems but we sometimes apply the law and it never includes rape as punishment

StupidBrotherInLaw ,

Fuck off back to Reddit

ChillCapybara ,

Get a hobby

StupidBrotherInLaw ,

I already have one: telling people to go back to Reddit. It’s fun and satisfying.

ChillCapybara ,

It’s ineffective and immature. I see why it speaks to you. You didn’t explain why I should go back to Reddit. Care to elaborate?

StupidBrotherInLaw ,

Ackchyualllllly, it’s ineffective and immature adjusts glasses before slurping the filling out of a Hot Pocket

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/16932520-0816-4ff0-8c57-45287ae44ce8.jpeg

ChillCapybara ,

Yeah, still not an argument. On brand for your hobby though.

PastryPaul ,

You calling anyone immature after making a joke about a woman getting plowed every day has to be the second funniest thing I’ve seen all day.

ChillCapybara ,

Yeah that cunt and fuck right off and so can you for defending her.

ChillCapybara ,

Oh Lemmy. We hate the rich! But don’t joke about it or like, hate them too hard or you get downvoted.

PastryPaul ,

Imagine being so pathetic that you reply to your own comment to whine about getting downvoted for making a rape joke. Yes, it’s clearly everyone else that’s the problem. I made an ASCII representation of your actual issue for you.

Self awareness meter: Empty|+ - - - - - - - -|Full

ChillCapybara ,

You’ve made me repent. I’ll never tell another joke again, become vegan and spend my time drawing pictures of what your dick must look like. Pretty dang big I bet. You clearly have all the self awareness possible since you’ve disparaged mine based on so little. Seriously, print out your comment and mail it to your mom to put on the fridge.

PastryPaul ,

LOL. Cry harder.

ChillCapybara ,

lol

Wes4Humanity ,

I get the sentiment… But what we want is justice… Rape can never be justice… And jokes about raping someone just make you look… gross.

Remember… THEY are the monsters… Not us

Clbull , (edited )

I have a lot of questions about this that the article doesn’t explain. How fast was she going? Why was she speeding? What was the speed limit on the road? Was alcohol involved? And why isn’t my country anywhere near as harsh when it comes to vehicular homicide?

EDIT: an earlier article also linked does explain most of this.

  • 81mph, presumably in an area with a 30mph speed limit
  • Apparently consumed two margaritas according to witnesses even though she was not criminally charged for a DUI. Likely that it was seriously strong tequila and triple sec consumed.
  • Showed zero remorse for the fact she ended lives.
dogslayeggs ,

Jesus! 80 in a 30?!!? That’s fucking insane.

FiniteBanjo ,

Old Hag thought she was speed racer. The USA has a serious cocaine problem, and I’m not talking about the hood.

skeezix ,

The more advanced a country is, the more they realize that long incarceration does’t really do much in terms of addressing the root problem, and it doesn’t really deter crime. Its only benefit is keeping a certain subset of actively dangerous people from further endangering society. Other than that it merely assuages the anger of society and victims in a tit for tat way. Rehabilitation, if possible, is a more useful approach.

Maggoty ,

That said anyone who thinks it’s okay to drink and do 80 through a crosswalk is a dangerous person.

Etterra ,

I’m impressed that they managed to lock up a rich person for a crime. I’m not going to bother reading the article because I just don’t care, but calling her is socialite implies to me that she’s old money. I’m not sure whether old money or new money is worse, but both are rich and

Stalinwolf ,
@Stalinwolf@lemmy.ca avatar

I’m just going to start referring to myself as a socialite. Yeah, I’m pretty much a shut-in who only hangs out with his wife and kid, and yeah, I manage a produce section at a grocery store for a living and only pull about 49k gross, but it sure sounds distinguished, eh?

funkless_eck ,

workers are always preferable to leeches. You do yourself a disfavor by pretending to be haute bourgeoisie.

TotalFat ,

Got any horror stories or tips as an insider?

MeThisGuy ,

always squeeze the melons. try before you buy

Stalinwolf ,
@Stalinwolf@lemmy.ca avatar

Wash your produce to the best of your ability. Old ladies (and occasional men) believe it’s their inherent right to lick their fingers every time they go to open a bag, and then pick through all the produce for the one they like most. Also, Cosmic Crisp is the best apple available.

TotalFat ,

It really is a great apple! I’ve recently tried one for the first time. I can definitely recommend!

Also the licky fingers thing doesn’t bother me nearly as much as the people who dig their long, dirty fingernails into produce, and sometimes I don’t notice until I’ve already brought it home… Blehhh!

Stalinwolf ,
@Stalinwolf@lemmy.ca avatar

The worst for us is stonefruit season. Every last person believes they have to squeeze all of the peaches and nectarines for ripeness, and within a few hours the entire display is full of deep bruises and fingerprints. They’ll do it even if they’re buying a massive bag, as if none of it can be expected to ripen over the coming days. We wind up throwing so much out due to excessive squeezing that it’s kind of disgusting.

I’m pleased that they found one with acceptable give, but they’ve destroyed three others in the process.

Crashumbc ,

Every once in a while they sacrifice one to show us things are “fair”. She probably wasn’t super rich either.

kandoh ,

The rich are surprisingly onboard with imprisoning their wives over 40.

Crashumbc ,

True

athairmor ,

Cynic in me assumes the victims’ family is richer.

bamfic ,

westlake village ain’t the barrio, for sure

dogslayeggs ,

This one was too cut and dry and with extreme negligence, plus it involved young children.

242 ,

Sometimes the Universe is just.

All you had to do is let you someone drive you home after you got drunk on mimosa’s at 10am. Oh well.

dogslayeggs ,

Hey hey hey, she wasn’t drinking mimosas! They were margaritas.

555 ,

It’s the “run” part that did her in.

cybersandwich ,

Yea probably. But she also ran because she was most likely drunk and she was speeding. So those parts might have also done her in too even if she stopped.

555 ,

It’s hard to get out of running over two kids. But there is an extra level of bad when you try to get away with it. The same for saying you’re “not guilty” and then being found guilty. Owning up to a horrible crime in the moment, especially when it’s not premeditated, counts for a lot. Obviously she would still have jail time, but it wouldn’t have been the maximum, and maybe she could still have a life. Now? Throw the book at her.

dogslayeggs ,

I don’t know, I think it was the 81mph in a 30mph zone more than her running.

nerdovic ,

As a non American, what does “15 years to life” mean?

dexa_scantron ,
@dexa_scantron@lemmy.world avatar

I’m not sure; usually this language is used when someone is convicted, that the sentence they receive from the judge has to fall in that range. I don’t know what “sentenced to 15 years to life” means except that the judge intends that she spend at least 15 years in prison.

hayes_ ,

I assume it means “minimum 15 years before eligible for parole.”

Schmuppes ,

That is correct.

Coreidan ,

Life is considered a 30 year sentence.

LimeZest ,

It varies from state to state. In Virginia a life sentence is 60 years while in Montana it is 10 years.

CoggyMcFee ,

It means they are in prison for at least 15 years and possibly the rest of their life, depending on how things go.

Crashumbc ,

Out in 5 for good behavior

Hux ,

Grossman, now 60, was speeding behind a car driven by her then-lover, former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Scott Erickson, when she fatally hit the boys, prosecutors have said.

Who the fuck is this person?

As another commenter noted, she’s just listed as a “socialite”—translating to “unemployed idle person of/from wealthy family”. And on top of being a socialite noted for founding a burn victim charity under her husband’s name, she killed a couple of kids while speeding behind her former MLB playing “lover”?

And the defense she offered was,* “If I had seen them, I would have avoided them”.*

No shit, lady. That doesn’t make you a good person. Her response makes it clear she has never experienced accountability for her shitty actions before.

“Listen, Judge—and you too, jury—if I was looking at all the things I was about to drive over, I would have totally not committed manslaughter. I really think I did a terrific job for how fast I was driving behind my lover. I really am the sort of wonderful person who would continue to drive fast and recklessly in a selfish fashion, and would even consider driving my vehicle into a tree rather than run over little boys (if I could see them) or change my behavior in any discernible way (I’ve never needed to before), or suggest that I am accountable for my actions (LOL). You see, when something bad happens (for me), it really needs to be someone else’s fault, or at least people should agree that whatever happened wasn’t that bad and I must have already suffered enough. Don’t you think I’ve suffered enough? I’ve probably suffered the most throughout this whole ordeal, out of anyone. I’m self-convinced everyone agrees with me and I can assure you that I lack the empathy to understand any other viewpoint. I think we are done here. Have the valet bring my car around, the Diamond Backs are in town and I’m feeling in a southwest sort of mood.”

athairmor ,

I’ve met people who think similarly. For them, “I didn’t mean to” is exculpatory. Now, the ones I’ve known were under 12 years old but I can imagine if people let them get away with that enough that thinking might carry over into adulthood.

CMDR_Horn ,

Ruling will be overturned in an appeal, she will walk, and it won’t make the news cycle.

meco03211 ,

Haven’t heard of this story before. What makes you say that?

RagingSnarkasm ,

Ever heard of a guy named Bill Cosby?

superfes ,

Holy shit, I hadn’t heard that it was overturned… man…

FlyingSquid ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

That was because the prosecutors were idiots and fucked up majorly.

If there was no situation like that here, it’s not going to happen.

RagingSnarkasm ,

Heard of a guy named Harvey Weinstein?

FlyingSquid ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

Yes. He’s in prison and appealing his sentence, which is every convicted person’s right. Why?

RagingSnarkasm ,

The New York case was overturned on appeal. reuters.com/…/new-york-top-court-overturns-former…

The California conviction is currently under appeal with the same arguments that won the NY appeal. apnews.com/…/harvey-weinstein-appeal-california-r…

FlyingSquid ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

From the first article-

In a bitterly divided 4-3 ruling, the state Court of Appeals said the trial judge made a critical mistake by letting women testify that Weinstein assaulted them, even though their accusations were not part of the charges he faced.

The appeals court said the trial judge compounded the error by ruling that if Weinstein took the witness stand, prosecutors could question him on a wide range of “loathsome” conduct, including bullying and fits of anger toward associates.

So, again, a fuckup. Yes, it sucks that guilty people can be let off due to a fuckup, but justice systems should adhere to certain rules and treat people equally and, in this case, that’s not what happened. Yes, our justice system needs to be better about both, but complaining when things work as they’re supposed to even though the outcome is unfavorable and a guilty person goes free is silly.

RagingSnarkasm ,

Even if the prosecutors don’t fuck up, you can always get “justice” from your state governor if you have to!

texastribune.org/…/daniel-perry-greg-abbott-pardo…

Pistcow ,

She should ask Greg Abbott for a pardon.

RagingSnarkasm ,

She should ask pay Greg Abbott for a pardon.

Fixed.

mysticpickle ,

Thank God he can’t hand those out in California then :>

Pistcow ,

yet

AbidanYre ,

Showing up in the news and being described as a socialite just about guarantees that the person in question is a piece of garbage.

NateNate60 ,

Socialite = “unemployed, but rich”

Fedizen ,

I think it means “unemployed, rich, woman”

as “unemployed, rich” men tend to get called “entrepeneur”

USSEthernet ,

I don’t know… I know some non-rich men who go by entrepreneur as well.

FiniteBanjo ,

I think the bare definition of an entrepreneur is to own a business. It used to be owning a business that you started, but Elon Musk gets called one all the time so that’s no longer true, either.

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