Ex-MLB Player Who Testified in Grossman Murder Trial Arrested on Suspicion of DUI
Feb. 15 2024, Published 5:30 p.m. ET
A retired Major League Baseball player who testified at the murder trial of married socialite Rebecca Grossman was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence this past weekend, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Booking records showed that Royce Clayton was arrested just before 12:30 AM on Sunday and booked on the charge at 2:55 AM, cited and released.
Clayton, the current baseball coach at Oaks Christian School, was one of two people arrested after DUI checkpoints were operated from 6 to 11 PM at Hampshire Road and Evenstar Avenue and from 11 PM to 2 AM at Westlake Boulevard and Cascade Avenue.
Clayton was not identified in a news release shared by the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, but the LA Times was first to report that his booking date of birth is a match.
His name may sound familiar as Clayton was one of the first witnesses to testify in the murder trial of Grossman.
Grossman pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, manslaughter and hit-and-run, for a collision that claimed the lives of two young boys, 11-year-old Mark and his 8-year-old brother Jacob Iskander, when she was behind the wheel in Westlake Village in Sept. 2020.
The defense has placed the blame on her ex-MLB star lover who formerly played with the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees, Scott Erickson, and was said to be driving a black Mercedes-Benz a short distance ahead of Grossman.
In an animation prepared by the defense, Erickson's car struck the boys and launched Mark into the air before he fell onto the hood of Grossman's white car.
It is believed the ex-lovers were racing moments before the crash.
Clayton told jurors in Van Nuys on Jan. 29 that he had had wine with Erickson that day at the Stonehaus winery in Westlake Village and later reunited with Erickson and Grossman at Julio's Agave Grill.
He told the court Grossman drank a margarita and Erickson had a couple of margaritas before leaving to watch a presidential debate at her nearby home.
Clayton said he never went and only later learned of the fatal collision after speaking with Erickson over the phone. Erickson has denied wrongdoing.
Erickson was charged with misdemeanor reckless driving at the time and his case was resolved in 2022 after making a PSA about the importance of safe driving.
As for whether or not he and Erickson are still friends, Clayton revealed they are not and also reflected on his reaction to first hearing the devastating news.
"I have kids. I just don't understand how he could be so negligent and be responsible for running down kids," Clayton said.
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He later asked prosecutors to return to the witness stand to clarify that he was not implying that Erickson hit the boys. The request was denied, much to his dismay, the LA Times reported.