Antoine Watson, convicted of killing 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee, walked free from a San Francisco courtroom this week after Judge Linda Colfax sentenced him to time already served — a mathematically predictable outcome driven by California's 2-for-1 pretrial credit rule and a four-year sentencing cap on involuntary manslaughter. The case has reignited debate over how San Francisco's courts handle violent crime, from prosecution decisions to judicial philosophy, against a backdrop of other recent incidents — a Chinatown stabbing two days before Lunar New Year and a civil lawsuit over a parole system that allegedly told agents to stop looking for violations before two women were killed.
Feb. 4 deadline looms. If qualified attorneys don't file to run, voters won't even get a choice.
Californians voted for public safety. The state legislature decided their votes don't count.
The Feb. 4 deadline to challenge soft-on-crime judges is days away—and almost no one has stepped up.
State lawmakers gutted accountability for youth crime. Now kids are shooting classmates and beating tourists.
After five years, Vicha Ratanapakdee's family learns their father's life was "negotiable." Six hours of deliberation was all it took.
Video shows Watson running full-speed into 84-year-old Vicha. He walks after 5 years. This is progressive justice.
Antoine Watson shoved an 84-year-old to his death, photographed the body, and got involuntary manslaughter. Welcome to San Francisco.
Judge Begert awarded diversion to a man with 18 burglaries. He didn't even show up to court. This is what "following the law" looks like.
Judge Begert diverted armed robbers and attempted murderers into "treatment." Now a homicide prosecutor is taking over.
A woman connected to killing an Asian senior is about to dodge trial while BART attackers walk free. January 12 is the test.