Murder trial could last 1 month for Ocean Beach ‘Superman punch’
SAN DIEGO – A man suspected of killing a man in Ocean Beach with a single “Superman punch” that caused head injuries when his head hit the pavement will have a month-long murder trial, a prosecutor told a judge on July 22. In the same court appearance, Andrew Phillip Restrepo, 34, received a new attorney, Danesh Tanden, and his attorney, who had defended him so far, Brandon Roesler, was relieved. Restrepo is accused of killing Sean Ellis Glenn, 34, after Glenn brushed past him on May 10, 2023, at a pizza shop in the 5000 block of Newport Avenue. The two men were strangers to each other, and Restrepo confronted Glenn outside the shop for Glenn touching him. Glenn said he didn’t know what he was talking about at 10:51 p.m. Without warning, Restrepo punched Glenn in the face so hard that he fell backwards onto the street, lapsing into unconsciousness when his head hit the pavement, according to detectives at his April 9 preliminary hearing. Glenn went into a coma at a hospital and died months later from brain injuries. One witness described the one punch by Restrepo as “A Superman punch” because it caused Glenn to hit the pavement. It is unusual for a single punch to cause death. Restrepo left the scene, but took photos from his phone and sent them to five people, according to testimony in the preliminary hearing. Attorneys in this case have talked about the similarity to the Seth Cravens murder case in La Jolla in 2007, in which Cravens hit Emery Kauanui, 24, with a single punch, and the surfer died five days later. Cravens and several members of the Bird Rock Bandits confronted Kauanui at his home in La Jolla. Cravens was convicted of second-degree murder by a jury and was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison. In May 2025, a parole board denied Cravens’ parole, and his next opportunity for release is in 2030. Cravens remains at a Corcoran prison. A trial date has not been set for Restrepo since he just got a new attorney. San Diego Superior Court Judge Roderick Shelton ordered him to return on Aug. 26 to receive a court schedule, probably in 2026. Restrepo has pleaded not guilty to all charges, which also include a second incident in which he allegedly battered a man aboard an MTS bus in the Midway area two weeks after the homicide. Restrepo remains in the South Bay Detention Facility on $2 million bail.
