SF Jury Says Killing Asian Grandpa Is “Manslaughter”

A San Francisco jury just acquitted a man of murder for shoving an 84-year-old Asian grandfather to his death—on video—finding him guilty only of involuntary manslaughter. The case that sparked the Stop Asian Hate movement ends with what many see as a slap in the face to the victim’s family and community.

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

The Attack That Shocked the World

Vicha Ratanapakdee was an 84-year-old Buddhist grandfather from Thailand who came to San Francisco in 2018 to help care for his two grandsons. He embodied the old saying “he wouldn’t harm a fly.” Every morning during the pandemic, he walked through the quiet Anza Vista neighborhood and returned before 8 a.m. so the boys could start their Zoom classes.

Surveillance video captured what happened next: 19-year-old Antoine Watson ran at full speed across the street and slammed into the petite elderly man. Vicha’s white hat flew off as he crumpled motionless to the ground. Watson stormed back across the street, still clearly agitated. Two days later, Grandpa Vicha died from brain bleeding after doctors drilled a hole in his skull to relieve pressure.

What was Watson doing before he killed an 84-year-old grandfather? According to The Voice of San Francisco, he had been cited at 2 a.m. for reckless driving and running a stop sign, then slept in his car. Hours later, he murdered a grandfather on his morning walk.

Involuntary Manslaughter: The Verdict That Outraged a Community

Despite clear video evidence showing Watson running at full speed into a defenseless 84-year-old man, the jury found him NOT GUILTY of both first and second degree murder. The conviction? Involuntary manslaughter—the lightest possible outcome.

The defense successfully argued it was an “impulsive unmotivated assault” resulting from “the mental-health breakdown of a teenager.” Watson spent five years in custody awaiting trial and will likely get credit for time served. That’s right—shove an elderly Asian man to his death on camera, and you could be walking free.

Supervisor Alan Wong captured the community’s outrage: “The murder of Grandpa Vicha was malicious, evil and the perpetrator should be dealt an adequate punishment.” The case that was supposed to mark a turning point in the fight against anti-Asian hate ends with the perpetrator walking away.

Archived tweet

In San Francisco you can shove an Asian senior citizen to his death, laugh and photograph it, and the jury will not find you guilty of murder. This is where decades of progressive policy has brought us. https://t.co/a3SyAAYt5L https://t.co/FaDDNNpH9G

Kane 謝凱堯 @kane January 16, 2026

Boudin’s ‘Temper Tantrum’ and the Recall

Remember how this case was prosecuted from the start? DA Chesa Boudin—a former public defender who ran on criminal justice “reform"—described Watson’s behavior as a "temper tantrum” in a New York Times interview. The victim’s family, who had voted for Boudin, was outraged.

Boudin was recalled in June 2022, but the damage was done. His office’s framing of a killer as someone having a “temper tantrum” who needed “therapy and counseling” set the tone for how this case would be treated. And officials like Supervisor Connie Chan who “supported a disgraced Boudin who hurt our Asian American elders” continue to sit on the Board of Supervisors.

A Pattern of Failure

This case took nearly five years from arrest to verdict. Meanwhile, SF Superior Court sits on a backlog of 4,081 cases. Justice delayed is justice denied—especially when the delay lets a killer get credit for time served.

This isn’t an isolated incident. There’s a pattern of unprovoked attacks on Asian victims receiving lenient treatment in San Francisco. The recent BART assault case followed the same playbook. Critics link these outcomes to a decade of progressive justice policies: Prop 47, Prop 57, SB 823, and AB 702 expanding “restorative justice” at the expense of actual justice.

Kane put it bluntly: “In San Francisco you can shove an Asian senior citizen to his death, laugh and photograph it, and the jury will not find you guilty of murder. This is where decades of progressive policy has brought us.”

Five years after Grandpa Vicha’s death sparked a global movement against anti-Asian hate, his killer walks away with a manslaughter conviction and credit for time served. For Asian American families in San Francisco, the message from the justice system couldn’t be clearer—and it’s not the one they hoped for.

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