Murder on Camera, Killer Walks Free

The case that sparked the Stop Asian Hate movement just ended with a gut-punch verdict: Antoine Watson, who ran across a street to shove 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee to his death on camera, was acquitted of murder and convicted only of involuntary manslaughter. After five years in custody awaiting trial, Watson will likely walk free.

Archived tweet

A man runs across the street, shoves an 84-year-old to the ground, photographs his unconscious body, doesn’t call 911, and the victim dies. Verdict: involuntary manslaughter. In San Francisco, ‘I was having a bad day’ is now a defense for killing the elderly. RIP Grandpa Vicha https://t.co/0LtjUkR5nV https://t.co/pN66LgBNgh [Quoting @TheVOSF]: BREAKING: Antione Watson, the killer of “Grandpa Vicha Ratanapakdee, found not guilty of first or second degree murder. Involuntary manslaughter: Guilty. https://t.co/l2BKOanoD8

Garry Tan @garrytan January 16, 2026

In San Francisco, “I was having a bad day” is now apparently a defense for killing the elderly.

‘He Wouldn’t Harm a Fly’

Vicha Ratanapakdee was a lifelong Buddhist, an 84-year-old Thai immigrant who came to San Francisco to help care for his grandchildren. Known as “Grandpa Vicha” to friends and family, he embodied the old saying—he wouldn’t harm a fly.

On the morning of January 28, 2021, his wife offered him coffee before his walk. He said it could wait until he returned—he wouldn’t be long. He put on a jacket and baseball cap and headed out into the quiet Anza Vista neighborhood. He never came home.

Surveillance video captured a tall, dark figure darting across the street at full speed and slamming into the petite grandfather. As Vicha crumpled to the ground, his white hat fell off and he lay motionless. Two days later, after doctors drilled a hole in his skull to release the bleeding on his brain, Vicha died in his sleep.

The Attack: ‘Why You Looking at Me?’

Watson was 19 years old that morning. Hours before the attack, he’d been cited for reckless driving, speeding, and running a stop sign. He slept in his crashed car overnight.

A witness told police he heard shouting: “Why you looking at me? Why you looking at me?” Then “a crushing sound.”

After shoving the 84-year-old to the ground, Watson photographed Vicha’s unconscious body. He didn’t call 911.

The defense’s argument? This was “the mental-health breakdown of a teenager"—an "impulsive unmotivated assault.” Then-District Attorney Chesa Boudin infamously described Watson’s behavior as “some sort of temper tantrum.” According to The Voice of San Francisco, that statement “haunted him until his recall in June 2022.”

Five Years to Trial, Then He Walks

Archived tweet

BREAKING: Antione Watson, the killer of “Grandpa Vicha Ratanapakdee, found not guilty of first or second degree murder. Involuntary manslaughter: Guilty. https://t.co/l2BKOanoD8

The Voice of San Francisco @TheVOSF January 16, 2026

Not guilty of first degree murder. Not guilty of second degree murder. Guilty only of involuntary manslaughter.

Watson has already served approximately five years in custody awaiting trial. With credit for time served, he will likely be released at sentencing. The man who ran across a street to kill an 84-year-old grandfather on camera walks free.

San Francisco currently has a backlog of 4,081 cases. This case took nearly five years to reach trial—and when it finally did, the system failed Grandpa Vicha again.

A Failed System

District 4 Supervisor Alan Wong said he had “no words” for his disappointment: “Grandpa Vicha inspired me and so many community members to step up, volunteer our time, and stop Asian hate. The murder of Grandpa Vicha was malicious, evil.”

The case that galvanized an entire movement against anti-Asian violence ends with the killer likely walking free. This isn’t an isolated failure—it’s the pattern. Critics have long argued that San Francisco sees “normal people as expendable in its restorative justice experiment.”

Some Asian American politicians have called for action on anti-Asian hate while simultaneously supporting policies that let perpetrators walk. The disconnect is maddening.

Grandpa Vicha deserved better. San Francisco’s Asian American community deserves better. Until this city takes public safety seriously, the message is clear: violence against the elderly won’t be prosecuted as murder, even when it’s caught on camera.

Follow @garrytan for more.