Ex-Dodger Scott Erickson says he 'wasn't racing' his ex-lover in his SUV when she killed two boys - BERITAJA

Former Dodgers pitcher Scott Erickson said connected the guidelines Monday that erstwhile his then-lover, Rebecca Grossman, killed 2 young brothers pinch her Mercedes successful a Westlake Village crosswalk, he “wasn’t racing” pinch her.

Erickson was seeking to refute claims by the family of Grossman’s victims that he and Grossman were racing erstwhile she deed Mark and Jacob Iskander, ages 11 and 8. He testified that he “doesn’t cognize what happened” that time successful September 2020 but acknowledged that he dodged the boys pinch his conveyance while Grossman, speeding down him, did not.

Grossman 62, was convicted of second-degree execution successful 2024 and is serving 15 years to life successful situation for the boys’ deaths. She and Erickson are being sued successful a wrongful decease suit by the boys’ parents, and Erickson was called to the witnesser guidelines connected Monday successful the civilian proceedings successful Van Nuys.

During the mediate of the trial, Erickson was not coming successful court. Under questioning connected Monday, he told jurors he was pinch a woman successful Mexico. But about of his grounds Monday related to his erstwhile narration pinch Grossman, co-founder of the Grossman Burn Foundation and woman of renowned surgeon Peter Grossman.

On the stand, Erickson, 58, admitted he deleted galore messages he exchanged pinch Grossman aft she deed the boys connected Sept. 29. 2020. He besides admitted that erstwhile constabulary asked him to move complete the Mercedes he was driving the time of the crash, he gave them different conveyance instead.

According to grounds successful the criminal trial, Erickson and Grossman were drinking margaritas astatine a section cantina earlier the brace sewage into their respective vehicles and headed to Grossman’s location to watch a statesmanlike debate.

On the guidelines Monday, Erickson acknowledged messaging Grossman up until adjacent the extremity of her execution proceedings successful 2024.

“There’s my girl,” he wrote to her conscionable days aft the deadly crash.

The messages stopped, however, erstwhile her boy told him to time off their family alone, he said.

The erstwhile World Series-winning pitcher did not attest successful Grossman’s high-profile 2024 criminal trial.

Rebecca Grossman, left, astatine the Van Nuys Courthouse during her criminal proceedings successful February 2024.

(Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

In that proceeding, Grossman’s lawyers tried to pin the boys’ deaths connected Erickson, claiming it was his SUV, not hers, that first struck the children. But the messages revealed during the criminal proceedings that the brace continued to show their affection moreover arsenic her lawyers formed him arsenic the unseen villain.

During Monday’s civilian proceedings proceedings, Brian Panish, the lawyer for the Iskander family, presented jurors pinch galore WhatsApp messages that were intersexual successful quality that Erickson sent her aft the crash, including, “Grossman, you make maine consciousness for illustration a activity crazy kid.”

He was besides questioned about the ample gaps of clip betwixt immoderate of their exchanges, pinch the family’s lawyer suggesting they had been deleted.

The retired pitcher, wearing a acheronian suit and a achromatic dress garment pinch nary tie, denied immoderate domiciled successful the boys’ deaths.

He did, though, admit he was charged pinch misdemeanor reckless driving for his domiciled successful the incident and the complaint was later dropped aft he made a nationalist work video connected driving.

Erickson and Grossman were driving separately down Triunfo Canyon Road successful Westlake Village erstwhile Mark and Jacob crossed the thoroughfare pinch their mother and younger relative astatine Saddle Mountain Drive. Nancy Iskander, astatine the criminal trial, testified that she began to transverse connected inline skates pinch her youngest son, Zachary, adjacent to her connected his scooter. Mark, connected a skateboard, and Jacob, besides wearing inline skates, followed a small complete an arm’s magnitude behind.

Jakob and Mark Iskander

After the collision, the information strategy connected Grossman’s Mercedes SUV abnormal the vehicle, which came to a extremity one-third of a mile down the road. Testing showed her blood-alcohol contented was 0.08% — the ineligible limit successful California — 3 hours aft the crash, according to grounds astatine some trials.

But Grossman was drinking alone, Panish reminded jurors connected Monday. He peppered Erickson connected the guidelines pinch questions about his drinking habits, and Erickson acknowledged drinking each time for the past 10 years. On the time of the crash, he was driving a powerful AMG exemplary of Mercedes SUV, but later provided constabulary his different Mercedes for inspection, he testified.

During Grossman’s criminal trial, a territory attorney’s interrogator testified that Erickson “cold plated” by utilizing the aforesaid licence sheet for some vehicles.

Karim Iskander and woman Nancy Iskander astatine the courthouse.

(Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)

Before the civilian proceedings began, Erickson, done his lawyers, sought to blasted Grossman for the full incident, insisting he was going conscionable complete the 45 mph velocity limit. But Panish has put connected rule enforcement witnesses testifying that information from Grossman’s Mercedes showed she was driving 70 to 80-plus mph earlier the collision, and sewage them to concede it was logical that Erickson was driving faster, arsenic his conveyance was up of hers.

Erickson’s friend and erstwhile shot subordinate Royce Clayton said that, successful the aftermath, Erickson called him and said he was watching Grossman being detained and “they were walking astatine a precocious complaint of speed.” She was straight down him, and he said arsenic he came up to this crosswalk, he saw the children, Clayton said, and he avoided them, but she deed them.

Clayton testified that Erickson told him that he and Grossman were “flying down” Triunfo Canyon Road erstwhile he swerved to debar 2 boys successful the crosswalk. He had besides told jurors that Erickson was watching the aftermath of the clang unfold while hiding successful a bush not acold from the segment — but connected the guidelines Monday, Erickson denied it.

The erstwhile shot subordinate besides denied, erstwhile questioned by the Iskanders’ lawyer, that he told Clayton he was flying along, missed the boys and his then-girlfriend deed them.

“I was happy to safely make it done the intersection,” he testified. “I didn’t flee. I was driving down the road.”