Man who killed San Francisco's beloved 'Grandpa Vicha' acquitted of murder charges after claiming he was in 'haze of anger' during attack

A San Francisco jury on Thursday found a man guilty of involuntary manslaughter, but not guilty of first or second degree murder, over the 2021 killing of 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee, who was also known as "Grandpa Vicha."

Antoine Watson, 24, was also found guilty of assault, but not guilty of elder abuse in the case. He had testified during the trial that he had been in a haze of anger and confusion when the attack happened. He claimed that he did not know Ratanapakdee was elderly or Asian at the time of the attack. The court will reconvene on January 26, where the jury will hear arguments on aggravating factors, per NBC Bay Area.

Ratanapakdee had been attacked in San Francisco’s Anza Vista neighborhood, with surveillance video showing Watson running at Ratanapakdee and pushing him to the ground, where he struck his head. Ratanapakdee died just days later. One of the prosecution’s expert witnesses estimated that Watson had run 12 mph when he hit Ratanapakdee, with San Francisco Assistant District Attorney Dane Reinstedt arguing that this showed Watson’s intent to cause harm.

A neighbor testified to hearing Watson yell, "What are you [expletive] looking at?" in the lead up to the attack. Watson had testified that he felt the elderly man had been judging him, while Reinstedt told jurors that this indicated malice towards the victim.

The daughter of the victim, Monthanus Ratanapakdee, said after the jury’s decision, "Our family is grieving and even disappointed and painful. But me, as a daughter, I can speak for my father. And I'm going to commit to working for our community for dignity and for public safety in San Francisco."