The verdict that made the front page
Two felony charges. Two years of headlines. Twelve jurors — and two words that changed Robert Branch’s life. This is how Marc Kohnen fought the case all of San Diego was watching.
A roadside confrontation on Interstate 8 — caught on video.
In May 2015, a driving dispute on Interstate 8 ended with Robert Branch — a 33-year-old security guard — being confronted and placed in a chokehold by a plainclothes San Diego sheriff’s detective. The cell-phone video ran on every station in the county.
When the charges came, they landed on Branch: felony assault with a deadly weapon, with an allegation of personal infliction of great bodily injury. He was facing the fight of his life — and he brought it to Marc Kohnen.
Two years of hearings, headlines and pressure — met head-on.
The case became a cause. Community organizations rallied on the courthouse steps, the Team 10 investigative unit followed every hearing, and Marc stood in front of the cameras after each one — telling Branch’s side of the story while methodically building the defense: self-defense, supported by the very video the prosecution relied on.
Through bail reviews, preliminary hearings and two years of proceedings, the strategy never wavered — take it to a jury.
“I’m just happy the jury saw it the same way we have all along.”
On June 23, 2017, the jury acquitted Robert Branch of every charge. Marc’s words to the press that afternoon — quoted in the Union-Tribune — said it plainly: the jury saw what the defense had seen from day one.
Every station in San Diego led with the verdict. Watch the coverage as it aired.
The next morning, the whole city read the result.
“Acquittal in ‘Chokehold’ Case.” Ask any other attorney if they’ve ever put a not-guilty verdict on the front page.
Every case is different, and prior results don’t guarantee an outcome. But when everything is on the line, this is what fighting a case all the way looks like.
Free, confidential case evaluation with the attorney who takes cases all the way — available 24 hours at (619) 398-2500.