Rebecca Grossman's Defense Shows Jury More Deposition Clips From Detective

Added: 2026-05-31

[00:00:01]Call your next witness.

[00:00:07]Detective video.

[00:00:11]>> Okay. So, next witness will be on video.

[00:00:16]>> Were you in charge of other officers that were there at the scene?

[00:00:21]>> All right. There's there's no intro. So, give us an intro who he is. It's a witness you've heard from before and on video. This is this is Detective Hilstead who did the investigation and >> first name is >> these are the clips that the defense is profering already heard >> his first name is >> David >> David Hson detective David Hielson All right proceed >> were you in charge of other officers that were there at the scene.

[00:01:02]>> No. And it that was not it was not my uh this was going to be Scott Sheen's handle cuz uh that's the way the thing goes. We just traded off on you know fatality happens I get it and the other one happens he gets it. We just trade off back and forth. And this one happened to uh be his. So I wasn't uh no I was not in charge of anybody really but they were all doing their jobs uh properly and I didn't uh really need to ascertain any authority over anybody.

[00:01:28]And I think that if I recall correctly, Sergeant Kelly was there also. So he was actually the lead most uh you know the person with the most authority there at the time.

[00:01:38]>> Okay. So then when when you got there, Sergeant Kelly was already there. Is that correct?

[00:01:43]>> I if I if I remember, you know, I don't remember if he was already there, but at some point I believe he was there.

[00:01:49]I don't remember really. Uh, I don't remember when he showed up or where exactly was the first time I saw him, but I know that eventually he was involved.

[00:01:59]>> But Sergeant Kelly was above you, correct?

[00:02:02]>> Yeah.

[00:02:03]>> In charge, correct?

[00:02:06]>> He he was the he was ultimately the supervisor of the traffic office. He was the lead. He at that time he was in charge of the traffic office.

[00:02:14]>> Okay. Um but it was your understanding that um when you when you were there, Scott Sheen, this was Scott Sheen's um case. Is that correct?

[00:02:22]>> It was going to be his case. Yeah.

[00:02:24]>> Okay.

[00:02:24]>> Yes.

[00:02:25]>> He knew that when you got there, is that right?

[00:02:27]>> Yes.

[00:02:28]>> And Scott, but Scott wasn't there.

[00:02:31]>> I don't believe he was there then.

[00:02:33]>> Okay. Um and uh um we took his we took uh Detective Jean's deposition earlier already. Um, and he said that um, I'll represent to you if I'm recalling correctly.

[00:02:47]>> He said that he didn't show up because you were already going to be there. Is that >> okay? That that that makes sense.

[00:02:54]>> Okay.

[00:02:57]>> Is that your normal procedure between the two of you?

[00:03:01]>> Um, depending on what his situation is, how far away he is, and what's going on in his life at that moment.

[00:03:06]>> Okay. Do you recall how it was determined that you would be there and not him?

[00:03:10]>> Probably I was just closer.

[00:03:12]Okay. Um, and but because it was his case, you were pretty much covering for him. Is that correct?

[00:03:21]>> Yeah. If I was the only one that was going to be there, that was going to be it.

[00:03:24]>> Okay.

[00:03:27]And just going back to the accident scene, um, do you recall seeing Sergeant Travis Kelly there at any point on the day of the accident? At the accident scene?

[00:03:36]>> I don't remember if he's at the accident scene, but I think he was, but I know he was there. uh somewhere around at the either at the station or at the scene. I don't remember.

[00:03:45]>> Okay. Well, I'll present to you that we do have a copy of your body cam video, so maybe we can um we can we can find out um when we when we look at it again.

[00:03:54]>> Um Okay. So, when you got there, who was in charge?

[00:04:00]>> I believe the deputy who was handling the case was in charge. I don't know. I don't remember who, but deputy was handling it.

[00:04:06]>> The handling unit.

[00:04:07]>> The handling unit. Yeah.

[00:04:08]>> Okay. Um and and so just so we understand there's a difference between a traffic unit and a handling unit. Is that correct?

[00:04:16]>> No, >> no, it's just whoever was assigned the handle whoever was assigned the call.

[00:04:21]>> Okay. Who was who was the handling unit?

[00:04:24]>> You know, I don't remember to tell you the truth. Might have been detect deputy Mia, but I don't remember.

[00:04:29]>> I see. Okay. So So the handling unit is in charge of the investigation.

[00:04:34]>> Yeah. The whole thing, everything.

[00:04:36]>> Okay. And uh and what were you in charge of if anything?

[00:04:41]>> Just overseeing making every making sure or you know that uh everything was being done to the best of every abilities.

[00:04:48]>> Okay. Were you in charge of the handling unit?

[00:04:51]>> No.

[00:04:52]>> Okay. So you weren't giving orders to them telling them?

[00:04:55]>> No. Maybe advice, some direction, but generally they know what they're doing.

[00:05:00]>> Okay. Who who's in charge of making sure that evidence is preserved?

[00:05:06]the handling unit.

[00:05:08]>> Handling who's in charge of getting the witness witnesses statements and um >> yeah the handling unit everything.

[00:05:15]>> He just finds everything to delegates it to everybody else.

[00:05:19]>> I see. Okay. And that would be um possibly Mahia. Correct.

[00:05:24]>> Possibly.

[00:05:24]>> Okay.

[00:05:25]>> I don't remember who the handling unit was.

[00:05:27]>> I see. Okay. And the handling unit that's with your department too? No.

[00:05:33]>> I'm sorry.

[00:05:34]>> Yeah. I'm trying to understand actually.

[00:05:35]Okay. So, you're with the Los Hills Department, correct?

[00:05:40]>> I'm with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. And the the Lost Hill Station is is simply a station within the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

[00:05:48]>> Okay. And you're not part of the handling unit.

[00:05:53]>> Who?

[00:05:54]>> You. Correct. You're not part of the handling unit. Correct.

[00:05:56]>> The hand unit is is a deputy. A a a deputy that's driving around in a police car. They are a unit.

[00:06:04]>> I see. So, forgive me for trying to answer. So, the handling unit can be one officer. It's not like a >> No, no, it's just a unit. A a unit is a is a generally a deputy assigned to a a car that day and they're assigned a a um you know, an identifying number like 222 Adam is a is an Agora unit or a Westlake unit would be a 226. So, um I think whoever was working Westlake was assigned the handling unit of that incident.

[00:06:33]>> Okay. Okay. So, the handling unit um from what you're understanding was uh Mahia. Is there anybody else that might have assisted him that you can >> I'm sure I think there was many many deputies were involved in this. I think everybody probably on the entire valley side that was working probably responded to that call. Okay. Was there anybody um that uh that you know of that was reporting to the handling unit?

[00:07:04]>> I really don't remember.

[00:07:07]>> All right.

[00:07:11]Okay. So, from basically basically what you're um let me better get a better question. What is your understanding of the command structure um that night of the collision?

[00:07:22]>> Well, there was the handling unit. was in charge of the incident and everybody else was there was there to assist him.

[00:07:28]>> I see. Okay.

[00:07:33]>> And does that does that change at any point?

[00:07:37]>> Yes.

[00:07:38]>> When does that change?

[00:07:41]>> When the incident is stabilized and it becomes more of a investigation than a stabilization and handling of an initial scene.

[00:07:51]>> Okay. And when would when was this collision stabilized?

[00:08:01]>> I would say it was stabilized when the immediate danger to the public and anybody else there was over and bodies were transported and the scene was completely secure probably many hours after the initial collision occurred.

[00:08:18]>> I see. Okay. So, um, would you say that by the time um of Rebecca Gman's arrest?

[00:08:28]>> Yes.

[00:08:29]>> When could it when when was it then?

[00:08:31]probably when the scene is quiet, people are gone and there's caution tape around everywhere and there's deputies surrounding the whole area and it's time to start looking up the you know the evidence and and and the details of the scene which is probably many like I said many hours after after the initial incident generally.

[00:08:50]>> Okay. Was that um did you leave the collision by that time?

[00:08:54]>> Yes, I believe I did.

[00:08:56]>> Yeah.

[00:08:57]>> Okay. So, was it stabilized and then you left the collision scene? I well it was I I when I left the scene it was I wouldn't know I don't remember if it was completely stabilized by that time but close to it I believe she was already that we we had or they had determined who was responsible for the act and I think that the immediate danger to the public was at that point over and there was enough deputies there to preserve the scene.

[00:09:22]>> Okay. So it might not have been stabilized when you left. Is that correct? it maybe, you know, depends what you how you uh what the definition of stabilizes. I guess that could be argued. In my opinion, it was probably uh fairly stable, but I would say uh not completely at that point maybe that >> Okay. Um when would when would you say it it's it's completely stable?

[00:09:46]>> Like I said, when there's basically no more threat to anybody there, including the evidence, but people or evidence. How about on the field investigation? Did you go out?

[00:09:59]>> In the field and investigate? I don't remember. Gosh, I don't remember.

[00:10:04]>> Okay. And what was your assignment? Was it was you were following? I'm sorry.

[00:10:09]Let me ask ask a better question. Um, so from um your interview with Miss Gman after that, what what would your understanding of what your job was?

[00:10:24]whatever she asked me to do.

[00:10:26]>> Okay. And um so far you've mentioned you've had to write warrants. Anything else? Which was the majority of time you said. Anything else you had to do?

[00:10:34]>> You know, I I think I wrote some supplemental reports on the witness statements that maybe contacted us after uh the fact and uh I documented some of those statements, I believe.

[00:10:46]>> Okay. And that was on the um instructions of Scott Sheen, correct?

[00:10:49]>> Yes. Yes.

[00:10:50]>> I see. Okay. Anything else that you recall that you you did?

[00:10:56]No, that was quite a bit.

[00:10:58]>> Can you describe what your specific role and task were that day?

[00:11:04]>> To go to the scene and try to assure that the scene was being handled properly.

[00:11:14]>> Okay.

[00:11:18]Um, were you in charge of um coordinating the marking of the evidence?

[00:11:26]I >> wouldn't say I was in charge of that. I was assisting in that.

[00:11:30]>> Who was in charge of that?

[00:11:32]>> I don't remember.

[00:11:33]>> Would it would it be the handling unit?

[00:11:35]>> It was the handling unit's responsible for everything. The entire scene.

[00:11:38]Everything. So um during this time um before you got to your station you were getting communications that Miss Gman was being um being uh examined for drug and alcohol influence. Correct.

[00:11:52]>> Yes. I think that's standard that is standard operating procedure and a fatality that you do for everybody.

[00:11:58]>> Are you do you remember in this case there being an issue with obtaining an original copy of the any surveillance videos? And like I said, I don't I wasn't really directly involved with that. Not to my my collection.

[00:12:12]>> Okay. But in your experience, you would usually just be able to download it to a thumb drive and it wouldn't wouldn't >> happen. Yeah. Or or somebody would just give us you know a lot of times you know per just many times it's just uh private people and small businesses. They would just uh you know cooperate and do it themselves. They'd have, you know, a gas station or something like that would have somebody that worked there that knew how to do it and they would just they'd provide it to you. If we if they didn't know how to do it and we didn't know how to do it, we could get somebody from the station like a crime analyst or a some kind of tech. We had all kinds of different techs at our station that knew how to do stuff and they'd go get it from you. And if it was really hard, you'd call downtown and get a crime person to do it for you. But that was rare. Usually, it's pretty it was pretty easy.

[00:12:56]Or you sometimes take the whole the whole machine. Every once in a while you would like the whole DVR machine or whatever it was. You would just take the whole thing if you couldn't figure out how to do it and book the whole thing as evidence.

[00:13:15]>> Is that it?

[00:13:17]>> Yes.

[00:13:20]>> Is there more?

[00:13:22]>> Okay. Um All right. So, that concludes that witness's testimony.

[00:13:30]And couple of things. We're going to break.

[00:13:34]I'm going to bring you back at 1 1:30 for one additional witness today. Excuse me. Uh and then then we'll take a break.

[00:13:43]Um there was a question I think generally from the jury whether we might be finished by the 12th.

[00:13:57]I can say all of us agree.

[00:14:01]We will okay um did not talk about the case amongst yourselves or anyone else. We'll see you back here at 1:30.

[00:14:18]Oh, I'm sorry. One other thing. Uh, there was a question about the second.

[00:14:24]So, um, actually, forget it. talked about that later.