Man convicted in Capitol Hill attack sentenced to more than 24 years Maslin, 30, was struck in the head with an aluminum baseball bat and robbed of his keys, iPhone and bank card. He was in a coma for days and required several brain surgeries. The young father lost his sight in his left eye and has limited use of his left arm and left leg. "Obviously this was an extremely senseless and very tragic evening," D.C. Superior Court Judge Robert Richter said. Nothing I can do can ease the pain and make things better or right. This is almost doubly tragic because Branch is a capable person. I accept that he didn't go out with the intention of ruining people's lives. But that is what happened. Branch was also convicted of the robberies of two other men in Adams Morgan hours after the Maslin attack. Two other men were also charged in the Aug. 18 attack and robberies. Michael Moore, 19, of Landover pleaded guilty in the case and testified against Branch in the trial. Sunny Kuti, 18, of Southeast Washington is scheduled to go to trial next week. "They were three people walking together to look for potential victims," Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Swanton said at the sentencing Tuesday. They were acting as predators . . . a conscious decision they made led to foreseeable consequences. There was no act of resistance by Mr. Maslin. Thomas Maslin and his wife, Abigail, were not in court for the sentencing, and Thomas Maslin is currently attending a one-month intensive speech therapy program. But in a video statement shown at the hearing, Abigail Maslin "humbly asked for justice." "The acts of Mr. Branch were senseless and cruel," she said. As a result, we are living a life sentence. Each day in this new life is a battle. Thomas Maslin's neurosurgeon testified at Branch's trial in May that Maslin will never fully recover from the attack. He and Abigail Maslin have a 2-year-old son, Jack. In her statement, Abigail Maslin said she had no words to explain to her son why his father cannot read a children's book to him, or why he could not walk properly. Branch's attorney, Dorsey Jones, said his client has two daughters, and described his actions that night as an "aberration." "I'm very sorry for the serious injuries Mr. Maslin suffered," Branch said in court, rubbing tears from his eyes. I ask forgiveness from the Maslin family, especially from his wife and mainly from his son, for their father being disabled . . . I'm sorry to anyone who was hurt because of this situation.