Man acquitted of murder in S.F. killing of 'Grandpa Vicha,' case that sparked Stop Asian Hate movement
A jury acquitted a 24-year-old man of murder and elder abuse — and convicted him instead of involuntary manslaughter and assault — in an attack on an 84-year-old Thai grandfather in San Francisco in 2021, a case that galvanized the Asian American community around crime and safety concerns.
The jury is scheduled to return to the courtroom on Jan. 26 to decide on an issue related to aggravating factors in the case, then the judge will determine sentencing.
Antoine Watson faces up to four years in prison for the assault and four years for the manslaughter. Additionally, the jury found two additional sentence enhancements to be true: that Watson rendered victim Vicha Ratanapakdee comatose and that Ratanapakdee was more than 70 years old, which would add an additional consecutive prison term of five years. Each of the four aggravating factors, which include that Ratanapakdee was “particularly vulnerable,” could result in another year added to the sentence.
The Jan. 28, 2021, unprovoked attack on Ratanapakdee as he took a morning walk in his neighborhood came amid a nationwide rise in anti-Asian hate crimes and attacks on Asian Americans related to the pandemic.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/man-acquitted-murder-case-sparked-stop-asian-hate-21284832.php