- Grossman, 60, is charged with murder after the September 29, 2020, crash that killed Jacob Iskander, eight, and his 11-year-old brother Mark
- Grossman had the drug Valium – as well as alcohol – in her blood the day of the the horrific crash
- Experts admitted their tests were ‘qualitative not quantitative,’ meaning that they could not tell just how much Valium Grossman had in her blood
Rebecca Grossman had the drug Valium – as well as alcohol – in her blood the day of the horrific crash that killed two young brothers, two toxicologists told the jury Monday at the wealthy Los Angeles socialite’s murder trial.
Grossman, 60, is charged with murder after the September 29, 2020 crash that killed Jacob Iskander, eight, and his 11-year-old brother Mark.
Prosecutors called senior criminalist Blake Byfuglin – who conducted the first screening of Grossman’s blood – and toxicology expert Chris Lopez – who made a confirmation test – to the stand at Van Nuys Court near LA.
Both pronounced that Grossman’s blood was ‘positive for diazepam’ (the clinical name for Valium).
But both also admitted that their tests were ‘qualitative not quantitative’, meaning that they could not tell just how much Valium Grossman had in her blood.
Rebecca Grossman had the drug Valium – as well as alcohol – in her blood the of the the horrific crash that killed two young brothers, two toxicologists told the jury Monday at the wealthy Los Angeles socialite’s murder trial
![Mark Iskander, 11, and his younger brother Jacob, eight, were killed in the crash in 2020](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/05/23/64942291-13048911-Mark_Iskander_11_and_his_younger_brother_Jacob_eight_were_killed-a-13_1707176626388.jpg)
Mark Iskander, 11, and his younger brother Jacob, eight, were killed in the crash in 2020
Under cross-examination by defense attorney Mark Thiessen, when he asked them, ‘You are not here to testify that Mrs. Grossman was impaired by Valium are you?’ both answered ’No.’
Grossman has admitted drinking alcohol earlier on that tragic day and breathalyzers she took after the crash indicated 0.075 and 0.076 per ent alcohol in her blood. A later blood test indicated 0.080, the legal limit.
On Monday, prosecutors called LA County Sheriff’s detective Michael Takacs – a ‘drug recognition expert – to the stand to testify about the effects of Valium and alcohol on a person’s driving abilities.
Valium – which is a depressant like alcohol – can lead to ‘poor decision making, poor judgement, slowed information processing,’ Takacs told the jury of nine men and three women.
‘A lot of those effects are the same as alcohol – slow, sluggish movements, slurred speech.’
When Valium and alcohol are mixed they can have a stronger impact, asked Deputy District Attorney Ryan Gould. ‘You have one beer plus Valium, that may feel like five beers,’ said Takacs. ‘Together it creates an additive effect.’
Grossman, 62, wore a gray cardigan over a black blouse and black pants Monday at court where she arrived – as she has every day – with her husband, Peter Grossman, a prominent plastic surgeon and her co-founder of the acclaimed Grossman Burn Foundation.
Prosecutors on Monday asked Deputy Takacs – a DUI specialist who teaches other officers how to properly administer roadside sobriety tests and breathalyzers – to critique the video shown in court last week of Deputy Michael Kelley giving Grossman the tests after the crash.
Takacs conceded that Kelley had made mistakes – in one sobriety test ‘his timing was out.’ Another ‘ he did faster than he’d should have.’ And in some tests, he did not do give proper instructions to Grossman.
But still Takacs said Grossman gave away enough ‘clues’ during the test to indicate that she was ‘impaired.’
When Grossman appeared on the video to have trouble puffing enough breath into the breathalyzers, Takacs told the court, ‘It did not look to me like she intended to blow in the machine. It looked like she was kind of playing with it.’
In cross-examination, Grossman’s lead attorney, Tony Buzbee seized upon Deputy Kelley’s ‘mistakes’ and set about trying to dismantle the results of the sobriety tests and the credibility of Kelley himself.
![Grossman, 60, is charged with murder after the September 29, 2020, crash that killed the two boys](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/05/23/80889921-13048911-image-a-14_1707176661326.jpg)
Grossman, 60, is charged with murder after the September 29, 2020, crash that killed the two boys
![Grossman left the Los Angeles Superior Courthouse with her husband, Dr. Peter Grossman, at her side](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/05/23/80889919-13048911-image-a-15_1707176665052.jpg)
Grossman left the Los Angeles Superior Courthouse with her husband, Dr. Peter Grossman, at her side
Referring to Takacs’ experience as an instructor in DUI testing to other cops, Buzbee said, ‘If Kelley had been one of your students, he would have failed, right?
When Takacs didn’t answer, the lawyer told him he had counted ’13 times that you pointed out that Kelley screwed up.’
Takacs responded, ‘Possibly. He did not do everything right. But he did some right…..Police officers are human and make errors.’
‘Isn’t Mrs Grossman human? retorted Buzbee.
When Takacs agreed that Kelley ‘was not a great orator’ and hadn’t given proper instructions to Grossman on one test, Buzbee exclaimed ‘That ain’t fair,’ in his trademark Texas drawl.
Then the cowboy boot-wearing attorney – who once ran for mayor of Houston – added, ‘That’s flat out wrong, isn’t it? That’s not the way they tell you to do it at the DRE (Drug Recognition Expert school).’
‘No, it’s not,’ replied Takacs.
When Takacs repeated that he didn’t think Grossman had given ‘legitimate tries’ at blowing in the breathalyzer, Buzbee pointed out that in the accident, the airbag in her Mercedes had gone off and ‘hit her in the face’ and she had been crying.
During the sobriety tests, Grossman was wearing flip flops which can make it difficult to do the test that involves walking down a line heel to toe, agreed Takacs, who said that he himself usually gives subjects the option of taking the flip flops off to do the test.
‘Kelley did not to do that did he?’ said Buzbee. ’No,’ said Takacs.
![Grossman has admitted drinking alcohol earlier on that tragic day and breathalyzers she took after the crash indicated 0.075 and 0.076 percent alcohol in her blood. A later blood test indicated 0.080, the legal limit](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/05/23/80889713-13048911-image-a-18_1707176700836.jpg)
Grossman has admitted drinking alcohol earlier on that tragic day and breathalyzers she took after the crash indicated 0.075 and 0.076 percent alcohol in her blood. A later blood test indicated 0.080, the legal limit
![Mark, 11, and Jacob, 8, were killed when crossing the road in September 2020](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/05/23/80761895-13048911-Mark_11_and_Jacob_8_were_killed_when_crossing_the_road_in_Septem-a-17_1707176689089.jpg)
Mark, 11, and Jacob, 8, were killed when crossing the road in September 2020
Grossma nis charged with two counts of second-degree murder in the tragic deaths of the two boys at a marked Westlake Village pedestrian crosswalk in September 2020.
The socialite – who is looking at a maximum sentence of 34 years to life in prison if convicted – is also facing two counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and one of hit-and-run driving resulting in death.
She’s pleaded not guilty to all charges and has been free on $2 million bail since her arrest more than three years ago.
While prosecutors insist it was Grossman’s car that hit and killed the boys, her lead defense attorney, Tony Buzbee, has steadfastly pointed the finger of blame at her ex-boyfriend, ex pro baseball player Scott Erickson, 56.
The two – who were romantically involved while Grossman was separated from her husband – had been sharing margaritas at a nearby restaurant earlier on the day of the crash and she had allegedly been ‘racing’ Erickson’s black Mercedes back to her home.
He was charged with misdemeanor reckless driving and his case was resolved in February 2022 with a judge ordering him to make a public service announcement for high school students about the importance of safe driving.
The boys were crossing the road on a crosswalk in Westlake Village, California, when Grossman, according to prosecutors, slammed into them in her powerful Mercedes. She has suggested that her lover’s car may have hit them instead.
![Grossman's white Mercedes SUV is pictured moments after the crash](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/05/23/80761967-13048911-Grossman_s_white_Mercedes_SUV_is_pictured_moments_after_the_cras-a-19_1707176946311.jpg)
Grossman’s white Mercedes SUV is pictured moments after the crash
![The Iskander brothers 'didn't stand a chance,' prosecutor Ryan Gould said in opening statements in Rebecca Grossman's trial](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/05/23/80517899-13048911-The_Iskander_brothers_didn_t_stand_a_chance_prosecutor_Ryan_Goul-a-20_1707176949086.jpg)
The Iskander brothers ‘didn’t stand a chance,’ prosecutor Ryan Gould said in opening statements in Rebecca Grossman’s trial
![Grossman is accused of killing brothers Mark, 11, and Jacob, 8, after plowing her Mercedes into the two boys in Westlake Village in September 2020](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/05/23/80157539-13048911-Grossman_is_accused_of_killing_brothers_Mark_11_and_Jacob_8_afte-a-21_1707176951819.jpg)
Grossman is accused of killing brothers Mark, 11, and Jacob, 8, after plowing her Mercedes into the two boys in Westlake Village in September 2020
Teryl Grasso, an EMT working in the emergency room at Los Robles Regional Medical Center, testified on Thursday that Grossman – whose airbags came on, and whose car recorded an incident and deactivated – complained about being in the hospital.
‘If they didn’t disable my car, I would have been at home in my garage right now,’ said Grossman, according to Grasso.
Buzbee, a high-profile attorney ran for mayor of Houston in 2019 and last year defended the impeached attorney general of Texas, Ken Paxton, told the jury in his opening statements on Friday that he would prove Grossman was not responsible for the deaths of the two boys.
He accused the police of ‘taking the easy way’ and pointing blame at Grossman in a ‘rush to judgement.’
Buzbee called the police investigation into the accident ‘absolutely terrible’ and added that ‘there is nowhere near enough evidence to convict’ Grossman.