Rebecca Grossman's tearful teenage daughter told the wealthy socialite's murder trial Friday how she saw her mother's lover, Scott Erickson, hiding behind a tree and watching Grossman leave after the horrific accident that killed two young brothers died, talked to the police.
And she recounted how Erickson later stormed into her house smelling of alcohol and screaming, “Why did your mother quit?” and threatened to “ruin me and my family” if she told anyone she saw him near the saw the scene of the accident.
Alexis Grossman – who was 16 at the time of the tragedy – told the court that she was driving to pick up a pizza when she noticed flashing police lights and saw her mother driving near her white Mercedes SUV was questioned by the police.
“I stopped and ran towards her screaming 'mommy, mommy.' But the police told me I couldn't talk to my mother and asked me to go home.'
Rebecca Grossman's tearful teenage daughter, Alexis, seen far right, told the wealthy socialite's murder trial Friday how she saw her mother's lover, Scott Erickson, hiding behind a tree while watching Grossman spoke to police after the terrible accident that killed two young brothers. Pictured: Rebecca Grossman, center, with her husband Dr. Peter Grossman, left,
Alexis described Erickson, pictured in 2018, storming into her house smelling alcohol, asking why her mother had stopped and threatening to harm her family if she talked about it.
Grossman, pictured in Van Nuys Court earlier this week, pleaded not guilty to all charges
Alexis, now 19 and a sophomore at Clemson University, said she returned to her car and then turned around and said, “I saw Scott Erickson.” “He was behind a tree in the bushes and stuck his head out, and we made eye contact.”
She told lead defense attorney Tony Buzbee that she did not see Erickson's black Mercedes SUV or speak to him because “I was so surprised to see my mother surrounded by police. 'I completely freaked out and had a panic attack.'
She drove the short distance back to her mother's house in Westlake Village, where shortly after she got there: “The front door burst open and Scott Erickson came in and said, 'Why'd your mother pull over?' Why did your mother stop?'
“He seemed very angry. He was beside himself. I could smell alcohol on him. He freaked out. I was scared.
“He yelled, 'Don't say anything.' “Don’t tell anyone you saw me or I’ll ruin you and your family.”
“He's a big guy.” “He's this baseball player and he was scary,” added Alexis von Erickson, a former professional pitcher who stands 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 220 pounds.
Erickson played with the Los Angeles Dodgers for one year starting in 2005 and then ended his career with the New York Yankees in 2006
Grossman's white Mercedes SUV is pictured shortly after the accident
Grossman, 60, is charged with two counts of second-degree murder for the tragic deaths of Jacob, 8, and Mark Iskander, 11, on a marked crosswalk in September 2020
“I was afraid that with his words he might do something that could hurt me or my family.”
Alexis – wearing a black minidress and dark sweater and with her blonde hair pulled back – cried as she told Assistant District Attorney Ryan Gould under cross-examination that she loved her mother and would help her “in any way she could.”
When asked by DDA Gould if she told police that she had seen Erickson that night when she was later interviewed, she replied, “No, but I wish I had.”
She didn't even tell her father, Peter Grossman, about her meeting with Erickson when she called him later the night of the accident.
“I didn’t tell him about Scott – I called him to tell him my mom was in an accident.”
When asked why she didn't tell her father about her meeting with Erickson, she replied: “He (Erickson) scolded.” He was angry. He shouted, “Why did your mother stop?”
“He said, 'Don't tell anyone you saw me.' If you do that, I will ruin you and your family.' It was the worst moment of my life.'
Alexis said she eventually told her parents that she had seen Erickson that night, and when she told her original attorney in the case, “He said, 'Don't tell anyone.'” “They got the wrong guy.” , and he told her not to “get involved.”
Mark (left) and Jacob (right) Iskander, aged 11 and 8 respectively, died in the horrific accident on September 29, 2020
Mark Iskander, 11, and his younger brother Jacob, eight, died in the accident in 2020
That lawyer died and Grossman hired Buzbee and his team from Houston, Texas, to represent her.
DDA Gould interviewed Alexis in July 2021 – 10 months after the crash – and he said to her in court on Friday: “Did you never tell me that Scott Erickson was hiding in the bushes or behind a tree?” “No,” true You to.
“Or that he came back to the house that night,” he added. “No,” she said.
She also admitted that she told DDA Gould during the interview that Erickson had not returned to the house and that their “paths did not cross that night.”
Alexis acknowledged that she did not tell prosecutors during her mother's numerous court appearances – including a preliminary hearing in May 2022 – that she had seen Erickson the night of the collision.
And she agreed that prosecutors only learned about her encounters with Erickson early in the trial.
When DDA Gould asked her if her mother and Erickson “stayed together for some time” after the collision that killed the Iskander boys, Alexis replied, “I don't think so.”
As a result of the fatal crosswalk accident, Erickson was charged with reckless driving. However, 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.
During his 15-year professional career, Erickson – now 56 – was a star pitcher with the Minnesota Twins – with whom he won a World Series in 1991 – the Baltimore Orioles, the New York Mets and the Texas Rangers.
In 2005, he played for the Los Angeles Dodgers for one year and finished his career with the New York Yankees in 2006.
Mark Iskander, 11, and his younger brother Jacob, eight, died in the accident in 2020
Nancy and Karim Iskander, the boys' parents, are shown leaving court earlier this month. Nancy was crossing the street with the brothers when they were hit
Born in Long Beach, California, Erickson was married for 17 years to actress Lisa Guerrero, now 59, with whom he lived in LA. They divorced in 2021 and had no children together.
As a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Rams in the '80s, Guerrero starred in Aaron Spelling's '90s TV series “Sunset Beach” and guest starred on numerous shows including “Frasier,” “Cybill” and “In the Heat.” of the Night”.
She switched careers to sports broadcasting and co-hosted the show “The Best Damn Sports Show”, which led to a cover of Playboy magazine in January 2006 with the caption “The Best Damn Sports Beauty”.
After just a year working as a sideline reporter on Monday Night Football, she landed a job as a correspondent on the TV show Inside Edition in 2006, where she later became a senior investigative reporter.
In 2007, Guerrero and her then-husband Erickson – who had just retired from baseball – financed and co-produced the film “A Plumm Summer,” in which she starred alongside Jeff Daniels, Billy Baldwin and Henry Winkler.