Antoine Watson, convicted of manslaughter in San Francisco ‘Grandpa Vicha’ murder case, gets probation after sentence suspended

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — The man guilty of manslaughter in the 2021 San Francisco death of 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee will go straight to probation without additional jail time, a judge ordered Thursday.

Earlier this year, Antoine Watson was acquitted of murder in the case but found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. On Thursday, he was sentenced to eight years in prison, but the entire sentence was suspended. He got five years’ credit for time served.

MORE: Suspect found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in 2021 SF ‘Grandpa Vicha’ murder case

In 2021, Watson pushed over “Grandpa Vicha” in the Anza Vista neighborhood, killing him.

The probation also includes weekly therapy sessions and searches of him and his property. Watson is also ordered to stay away from the Ratanapakdee’s family and the area where he was killed.

Ratanapakdee’s daughter and family released this statement following the decision:

“Today’s sentence is deeply disappointing. An 84-year-old man was killed in a cruel, unprovoked attack, and our family will live with this loss every day. This is not about revenge-it is about accountability. When consequences do not match the harm, it sends the wrong message about protecting our seniors and public safety. We are concerned about what this means for other families.”

The case was among the incidents that sparked the Stop Asian Hate movement, as the family claimed the attack was racially motivated.

The district attorney never filed hate crime charges, and Watson said he didn’t know what race the victim was.

The defense said Watson purposely pushed the man over, but didn’t intend to kill him.