On September 29, 2020, at sundown, brothers Mark and Jacob Iskander were crossing Triunfo Canyon Road in Westlake Village, following their mother when they were struck and killed by one of the vehicles in what witnesses described as a “speeding convoy”.
Witnesses reported two distinct impacts, seconds apart, and two vehicles speeding through the crosswalk. One of them was a black SUV that continued on, and did not stop. The other vehicle stopped a quarter of a mile down the road after airbags deployed the car’s emergency system was activated. The driver was philanthropist Rebecca Grossman, who was arrested at the scene.
The second driver, identified that night, former MLB pitcher Scott Erickson, who was the driver directly in front of Grossman, was somehow shielded from being questioned, detained or having his vehicle impounded.
Despite early reports from both the Sheriff’s Department and the media acknowledging multiple vehicles in this double fatality, the narrative shifted fast. Within hours, the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station locked into their theory: one car, one suspect, one easy prosecution.
So who stepped in to wipe Scott Erickson clean from this double homicide case? Who made the call to ignore witnesses, scrap evidence, and let a second driver walk? And more importantly – why?
NARROW MINDED NARRATIVE OR NEFARIOUS?
Sources say Deputy Rafael Mejia testified in recent civil depositions he did not investigate Erickson because he concluded there was only one vehicle involved. That determination, he said under oath, was based on the debris he observed and the fact that Grossman did not refer to another driver. “Ms. Grossman never mentioned that there was another person involved. So it was my understanding that she was the only one there, and that’s how I made my determination.”
This assumption ignored surveillance video showing multiple vehicles seconds apart, multiple witness statements indicating they heard two separate impacts, and physical debris inconsistent with Grossman’s vehicle, a fog light cover and a license plate frame included in a Supplemental Narrative report submitted by Mejia himself. That physical evidence completely disappeared after reaching the station.
During recent civil proceedings, Detective Huelsen testified that he made no effort to contact Erickson the night of the crash. This is despite Erickson being identified as one of the drivers via a conversation with Deputy Cory Gaudet and former MLB player Royce Clayton who was contacted at 11:45 p.m. the night of the accident after being informed that he was with Grossman and Erickson shortly before the tragedy.
Huelsen didn’t go to Erickson’s location, didn’t request to inspect his car. He couldn’t recall anyone else involved in the investigation doing so. Huelsen testified that he, Sergeant Travis Kelly, and Sergeant Scott Shean attempted to reach Erickson later. By the time contact was made with Erickson nine days after the crash on October 8th, he had reportedly swapped out the black 2016 AMG SUV seen on surveillance footage for an older 2007 model and hid the newer vehicle at his friend Chris Pollack’s house.
Despite being the only investigator on-site that night, Huelsen repeatedly deferred responsibility to Sergeant Travis Kelly and then Sergeant Scott Shean who took over the case in the days after the accident.
Video footage at the scene of the collision on September 29, 2020: Despite Detective Huelsen’s well-documented history of investigative negligence, even he couldn’t ignore the unusually wide debris field that night, or reconcile how a single vehicle could have caused it. And yet, he chose not to pursue it any further.
This extremely careless manner of investigating was witnessed by LASD personnel who worked with Huelsen on fatal accidents over the years. According to sources, Huelsen, was a political appointee by former Captain Tom Martin because he could be “controlled”, and despite being assigned to high-stakes cases, Huelsen reportedly lacked experience in accident investigations, and was known to lean heavily on other deputies when handling complex or fatal incidents.
One source revealed upon learning Huelsen was the lead investigator in this case, made the following statement regarding his lack of investigative skills:
“He had no business leading a case like this. I can assure you, Huelsen knows how badly he screwed the pooch… That is pretty much par for the course in my opinion. I had to clean up some serious messes. I kept hoping he would get better, but there just wasn’t much room for improvement. As a general rule, the sergeants don’t get very involved in the investigations, they simply make sure that it was thoroughly investigated. So Huelsen was all on his own definitely in over his head.”
Huelsen identified the “handling unit” at the scene as Deputy Mejia, who was tasked with logging evidence, canvassing the area, and gathering initial statements. Mejia, notably not a trained investigator, testified in civil proceedings that “he found no debris from a second vehicle”, yet, the Supplemental Narrative prepared and filed by Mejia himself clearly listed evidence not consistent with Grossman’s car and multiple witnesses describing two vehicles and two impacts.
His ethical character came into question during the Kobe Bryant investigation, when photos of Bryant’s corpse were found on his personal phone, a clear violation of both department policy and basic ethics. He was later disciplined by Sheriff Villanueva, along with Sergeant Travis Kelly.
IF YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW.
According to Former MLB player Royce Clayton, a longtime friend of Erickson. Clayton testified he had been with both of them before the crash at Julio’s restaurant. On the stand, he testified that Grossman showed no signs of impairment and appeared capable of driving. “No,” he replied when asked if she gave him any reason to think she was impaired. “From what I know,” he added, she seemed perfectly fine to drive.”
Yet the mainstream media and social media mob narrative consistently stated that Grossman was “drunk”. That false narrative was driven by Huelson and Sgt Kelly both of whom outright lied and filed false information to obtain a blood warrant, regarding the circumstances surrounding Grossman’s breathalyzer and breath tests. Grossman was never charged with a DUI criminally by the district attorney, and in a DMV hearing, was exonerated. Clayton’s testimony is an eyewitness account of Grossman’s demeanor when she left Julio’s that night shortly before the tragic accident.
In Clayton’s civil testimony, he testified Scott Erickson did not stop at the scene but instead continued driving to Rebecca Grossman’s home, parked his vehicle, and jogged back to observe from a distance. Clayton testified that Erickson was standing “off to the side” watching the aftermath unfold but made no attempt to assist or speak with authorities. When Clayton confronted Erickson about why he hadn’t stopped or spoken to the authorities, Erickson claimed he was in a “state of shock” and appeared, in Clayton’s words, “not very coherent.” Clayton urged Erickson to check on the children and help, but Erickson remained a bystander, silent and never held accountable.
During the criminal trial, the prosecution tried to paint Grossman’s daughter Alexis as a liar on the stand, but the truth of her statement – and the dishonesty of their standard investigative practices – was ultimately validated by Clayton’s civil testimony. The District Attorney could have asked Clayton the same question years ago, but clearly they had no real interest in finding out the truth.
Clayton’s most damning statement at the criminal trial revealed far more than just the end of a decades-long friendship with Erickson, it further exposed a deeply flawed investigation by the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station.
“I have kids. I just don’t understand how he could be so negligent and be responsible for running down kids.”
Though the statement drew an objection and was partially stricken from the record, it left a lasting impression, and a question prosecutors and investigators never answered: what role did Scott Erickson play in the deaths of Mark and Jacob Iskander?
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