Outrage erupts over no-murder verdict in Vicha Ratanapakdee’s death

The conviction of Antoine Watson for involuntary manslaughter in the 2021 death of Vicha Ratanapakdee has sparked backlash across Asian American communities, with many viewing the decision as further evidence that crimes against elderly Asian victims receive insufficient consequences.

Catch up: After roughly six hours of deliberation on Jan. 15, a jury cleared Watson of murder and elder abuse charges but found him guilty of involuntary manslaughter and assault with intent to cause great bodily injury. The attack occurred nearly five years ago on Jan. 28, 2021, when Watson, then 19, violently pushed Ratanapakdee, an 84-year-old Thai American grandfather, to the pavement during his morning walk in San Francisco’s Anza Vista neighborhood, resulting in a fatal brain hemorrhage.

Despite the family’s insistence that Watson targeted their father based on race, prosecutors never pursued hate crime charges. The decision fueled controversy when then-District Atty. Chesa Boudin characterized the killing as stemming from a “temper tantrum.” Watson, now 24, faces up to nine years in prison, though some legal analysts believe he is likely to receive credit for time served.

What they’re saying: Ratanapakdee’s daughter Monthanus, who attended the six-week trial and is running for District 2 supervisor, expressed her devastation in multiple social media posts. On Jan. 17, she wrote, “As his daughter, I am shocked and heartbroken by this verdict. My 84-year-old father was killed in an unprovoked attack, yet there was no conviction for murder or elder abuse. This outcome raises serious concerns about accountability and the safety of our elders.” Two days later, she added, “After the verdict, many in our community feel deeply disappointed. There is serious concern that the court process and defense tactics prevented meaningful accountability in a violent case involving a senior.”

In interviews, Monthanus told the San Francisco Chronicle that Watson would not have attacked a “tall Black or white man” and American Community Media that she wanted jurors to “bring justice for my father and to fully recognize the fear this attack has caused in our community, especially older Asian people and their families.” She also stressed Watson “has to learn that having a bad day does not give anyone the right to harm someone else.”

Other community voices expressed similar anger. San Francisco Supervisor Alan Wong said “the jury’s decision to acquit on the murder and elder abuse charges does not reflect the severity of what we all witnessed,” calling the attack “malicious, evil” and concluding that “justice was not served.” Daniel Chung, a candidate for district attorney of Santa Clara County, wrote, “Justice for Grandpa Vicha was delayed and denied! We should be outraged by the devaluing of elderly Asian life and the asinine excuses to escape personal accountability.”

In a letter to the sentencing judge, entrepreneur Garry Tan noted, “I do not want to raise my boys in a city that teaches them to accept this. I want them to believe that justice is real. That actions have consequences. That human life is sacred.” Liz Le, another entrepreneur and contributor for The Voice of San Francisco, declared, “Watson will always be a murderer in my book, even when our criminal justice continues to fail us.”

What this means: Ratanapakdee’s killing helped galvanize the Stop Asian Hate movement during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unsurprisingly, the verdict evokes painful historical parallels and raises questions about how the justice system values Asian American lives. In 1982, Vincent Chin, a Chinese American beaten to death with a baseball bat by two white Detroit auto workers, became a symbol of this disparity when his killers received only probation after pleading guilty to manslaughter.

The latest highlights a persistent challenge. Without explicit slurs or documented bias, proving racial motivation remains nearly impossible, leaving families without hate crime enhancements that might deliver accountability. And when attackers face reduced charges despite evident violence against elderly victims, it reinforces the troubling message that such crimes can be minimized as bad days or random acts.

The jury reconvened on Sunday to hear aggravating factors and victim impact statements before Judge Linda Colfax imposes Watson’s sentence.