Rebecca Grossman, co-founder of the Grossman Burn Foundation, struck and killed Mark Iskander, age 11, and Jacob Iskander, age 8 in Westlake Village on September 29, 2020.
The accident occurred when the children were crossing the road with their family.
In the early hours of September 29, 2020, two young brothers, Mark Iskander, age 11, and Jacob Iskander, age 8, lost their lives in a tragic accident in Westlake Village. The events that unfolded that day have left their family and community heartbroken. Rebecca Grossman, a prominent philanthropist and co-founder of the Grossman Burn Foundation, was behind the wheel of her vehicle when she struck the boys as they crossed the road with their family.
According to reports from various sources, including NBC Los Angeles and The Los Angeles Times, Grossman maintained that she did not see anyone or anything in the road and would have
Rebecca Grossman maintained that she never saw the boys in the street before striking them and insisted she would have ‘driven into a brick wall’ rather than hurt them.
Grossman wrote a letter to the judge prior to sentencing expressing her remorse and asking for leniency.
Accuracy
Rebecca Grossman was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for running down two young boys named Mark and Jacob Iskander in Westlake Village.
,
Deception
(50%)
The article contains several instances of emotional manipulation and selective reporting. The author uses phrases like 'unimaginable loss', 'incredibly selfish behavior', and 'not a monster as the prosecution attempts to portray her' to elicit an emotional response from the reader. Additionally, the author only reports details that support Grossman's position, such as her lack of a criminal record and history of philanthropic activity. The article does not disclose any sources.
She wrote the boys’ parents that she wished they could ‘feel my heart.’
She insisted that she was unable to reach out to the boys’ family as the case was pending on the advice of her attorneys, who told her it would amount to ‘tampering with witnesses’.
The defendant has never shown an ounce of remorse for her choices on September 29, 2020. She has never taken a modicum of responsibility.
The judge called the children’s deaths an ‘unimaginable loss’,
Rebecca Grossman maintained that she did not see the boys or anything in the road and would have ‘driven into a tree’ to avoid hitting them.
Accuracy
Rebecca Grossman was driving as fast as 81 mph and traveled another half-mile after slamming into the children.
Grossman refused to accept responsibility for the boys’ deaths and tried to manipulate the case from behind bars even after her conviction.
Deputy District Attorney Ryan Gould argued there was no evidence that Grossman’s then-boyfriend struck the children first with his vehicle as defense attorneys claimed during the trial.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(85%)
The author uses inflammatory rhetoric by quoting Nancy Iskander's statement 'She is a coward.' and the prosecutors' statement 'The defendant's actions from September 29, 2020, through today show a complete lack of remorse and narcissistic superiority that leads to only one conclusion, that she is not deserving of any leniency.' These statements are inflammatory and do not provide any logical reasoning or evidence for the fallacy. Therefore, the score cannot be higher than 85.
]She is a coward.[
The defendant's actions from September 29, 2020, through today show a complete lack of remorse and narcissistic superiority that leads to only one conclusion, that she is not deserving of any leniency.
Rebecca Grossman expressed remorse in her letter and claimed that facts have been distorted and misrepresented.
Accuracy
Rebecca Grossman maintained that she did not see the boys in the street before striking them and insisted she would have ‘driven into a brick wall’ rather than hurt them.
Prosecutors contended that Grossman was driving at extreme speeds, impaired, and had alcohol and valium in her system at the time of the crash.
Deception
(50%)
The authors use emotional manipulation by including quotes from Rebecca Grossman's letter where she expresses her pain and suffering. They also selectively report information by only mentioning the minimum sentence she received and not the maximum sentence she was facing. The authors do not disclose sources for some of the statements made in their article, such as the quote from District Attorney George Gascon.
Among those who made impact statements early Monday were Mark and Jacob’s uncle, grandmother and a neighbor whose children became close with the boys during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The co-founder of the Grossman Burn Foundation and wife of prominent plastic surgeon Dr. Peter Grossman wrote a letter to the judge from jail ahead of her sentencing pleading for mercy.
She has lived a life of privilege and clearly felt that her wealth and notoriety would buy her freedom...this was murder.
Fallacies
(85%)
The authors use an appeal to emotion in their article when they describe the pain and suffering of the victims' family. They also make a hasty generalization by stating that Grossman has 'not taken a modicum of responsibility' for her actions without providing evidence or context.
“My pain, my recognition of the pain the Iskanders suffer and the pain I watch my family endure are punishments that I already suffer and will for the rest of my life.”
“She has lived a life of privilege and clearly felt that her wealth and notoriety would buy her freedom…this was not a tragic accident as the defense continually states, this was murder.”
Rebecca Grossman maintained that she never saw the boys in the street before striking them and insisted she would have ‘driven into a brick wall’ rather than hurt them.
Grossman did not return to the scene or offer aid to the boys after the crash, causing her vehicle’s airbag to deploy and engine to stop running a quarter mile away from the scene.
Accuracy
Rebecca Grossman claimed she did not see the boys or anything in the road before hitting them.
Grossman maintained that she would have ‘driven into a brick wall’ rather than hurt them.
Deception
(30%)
The author uses emotional manipulation by having the defendant express her suffering and pain in the article. The defendant's statements are presented as if they are facts, but they are actually her opinions and pleas to the judge. This is a form of selective reporting as only the defendant's perspective is being presented without any counterargument or context from other sources.
My pain, my recognition of the pain the Iskanders suffer, and the pain I watch my family endure, are punishments that I already suffer and will for the rest of my life.
Please consider this suffering when you consider what more punishment to impose on me in this case.
But Brandolino gave her 15 years to life, and ordered her to pay $47,000 in restitution – saying she was ‘not a monster as the prosecutors portrayed her to be.’
A Los Angeles socialite who was convicted of murder for killing two young boys with her car during a chase with her lover whined to the judge that she has suffered enough
Fallacies
(65%)
The author uses an appeal to emotion and a false dichotomy in the article. Rebecca Grossman is portrayed as a wealthy socialite who has suffered enough and is not a monster, despite being convicted of second-degree murder. The author also quotes Grossman's statements that she has already suffered enough and her pain is a fraction of the victims' pain, which creates an emotional response from the reader. However, these statements do not negate the fact that she killed two young boys in a hit-and-run incident. Additionally, Grossman is presented as only suffering and not taking responsibility for her actions. The author also uses language such as 'desperate plea' and 'max of 34 years to life in state prison' which creates a false dichotomy between Grossman being let off with probation or receiving the maximum sentence, when in reality there are other sentencing options available.
A Los Angeles socialite who was convicted of murder for killing two young boys with her car during a chase with her lover whined to the judge that she has suffered enough
But Brandolino gave her 15 years to life, and ordered her to pay $47,000 in restitution – saying she was ‘not a monster as the prosecutors portrayed her to be.’
Her lawyers argued for her to be let off with probation.
My pain, my recognition of the pain the Iskanders suffer, and the pain I watch my family endure, are punishments that I already suffer and will for the rest of my life.
Please consider this suffering when you consider what more punishment to impose on me in this case.
Bias
(50%)
The author expresses sympathy towards the defendant and her family, implying that their suffering is equal to or greater than that of the victims. This is an example of emotional bias.
I would have driven into a brick wall …. I don’t know why God did not take my life.
My pain is a fraction of your pain.
My pain, my recognition of the pain the Iskanders suffer, and the pain I watch my family endure, are punishments that I already suffer and will for the rest of my life.
Rebecca Grossman maintained that she did not see anyone or anything in the road and would have 'driven into a tree' rather than hitting the boys.
Accuracy
Rebecca Grossman maintained that she did not see anyone or anything in the road and would have ‘driven into a brick wall’ rather than hitting the boys.
Prosecutors contended that Grossman was driving at extreme speeds, impaired, and had alcohol and valium in her system at the time of the crash.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(75%)
The author uses inflammatory rhetoric by describing Grossman as a 'cold-blooded killer' and 'undeserving of any leniency' without providing evidence to support these claims. This is an appeal to emotion and a form of informal fallacy.
The voices demanding vengeance and retribution are reacting to the tragic loss of Mark and Jacob, but they do not fairly describe me or who I am. I am not a murderer.
She has blamed the victims, arguing that they were out of the crosswalk, jetted out in front of her car, and that their mother was careless in walking with her children across the street when it was starting to get dark outside.
Deputy District Attorneys Ryan Gould, Jamie Castro and Habib Balian wrote in their sentencing memorandum that Grossman’s actions since the night of the crash show a lack of remorse and narcissistic superiority that leads to only one conclusion, that she is undeserving of any leniency.
