Former MLB pitcher Scott Erickson allegedly sent a disturbing text to a friend the day after he reportedly watched his then-girlfriend, Rebecca Grossman, strike and kill two boys in a California crosswalk.
Rebecca Grossman, 62, a well-known social figure, was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison in connection with the deaths of brothers Mark, 11, and Jacob, 8, who were hit while crossing a street with their family in Westlake Village in September 2020.
Grossman was found guilty of two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, and one count of hit-and-run driving.
Prosecutors alleged that Grossman and Erickson—who were dating at the time—had been drinking before the crash.
They were said to be driving in separate vehicles when the collision occurred, with the prosecution claiming Grossman was speeding at the time of the hit-and-run.
While Grossman alone was convicted in the criminal case, the boys’ family has now pursued a civil lawsuit, seeking to argue that both Grossman and Erickson share responsibility for what happened.
In testimony on Friday (May 1), former baseball player Royce Clayton became emotional on the stand as he described an encounter with Erickson the day after the crash.
Clayton told the court that Erickson allegedly confided he saw Grossman hit the children, saying the admission came during a chance meeting at a Malibu restaurant shortly after the incident.
Fighting back tears, Clayton also recounted a message he said he received from Erickson roughly 24 hours after the crash.
“Hey dude…..I’m drinking your last IPA you left here at the house….Nothing to worry about,” the jury heard.
Attorney Brian Panish, who represents the boys’ parents, questioned Clayton about what Erickson allegedly told him later that night.
Brian Panish, attorney for the boys’ parents, asked Clayton: “Did Mr Erickson tell you on the phone that night that he and Ms Grossman were racing down the street… He saw the children in the crosswalk. He swerved and she hit the children?”
“Yes,” he responded with tears in his eyes. He added: “He swerved and kept going.”
Clayton also said Erickson’s apparent unwillingness to take responsibility ‘did not sit well with [him]’.
“The right thing to do would have been to stop,” he continued.
The children’s parents are seeking significant financial damages—described by their attorney as ‘tens and tens and tens of millions’—through the civil case.
During the criminal proceedings, Grossman’s defense argued she never saw the children, describing the collision as a ‘tragic, horrible accident’.
Erickson has continued to deny that he bears any responsibility for the boys’ deaths, maintaining Grossman alone caused the fatal crash.
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