SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Monthanus Ratanapakdee diligently attended Superior Court here every day for 6 weeks as a jury deliberated the fate of the man accused of fatally attacking her father Vicha.
”I was in court every day, because I wanted the 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,” Monthanus Ratanapakdee told American Community Media, after the jury delivered its verdict.
But justice remained elusive in one of the seminal cases of the Stop the Hate movement, which began during the pandemic, as the AAPI community faced a dramatic rise in hate incidents and violence.
Not Guilty
A jury deliberated for 6 hours Jan. 15 before finding Antoine Watson not guilty on the charges of attempted murder and elder abuse, which carried a sentence of 25 years in state prison. He was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and assault with intent to cause great bodily injury, both felonies.
Watson now faces a maximum sentence of 9 years in prison, but — given that he has already served 5 years in jail — could walk free at any point after San Francisco Superior Court Judge Linda Colfax delivers her sentence. The jury will reconvene Jan. 26 to hear aggravating factors in the case and victim impact statements. Colfax will sentence Watson after the hearing.
Monthanus said she was deeply disappointed by the verdict. She had sought a conviction of 2nd degree murder and elder abuse.
On Jan. 28, 2021, Ratanapakdee — who was given the nickname ‘Grandpa Vicha’ — was taking his customary early morning stroll around his neighborhood in San Francisco’s Anza District, when Watson, 19 at the time, ran across the street and shoved the 84-year-old Thai man onto the sidewalk. Ratanapakdee died 2 days later of a brain hemorrhage.
Hate Crime?
Watson was arrested 2 days later and has been held in San Francisco County Jail for almost 5 years, without bail, as he awaited his trial. AAPI community leaders had asked San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins’ office to add hate crime charges to the case. But Watson was never charged with a hate crime.
In a similar set of circumstances in 2019, Keonte Gathron went on an 8-day crime spree that included robberies, carjackings, thefts, and a brutal attack on a Chinese grandmother, Yik Oi Huang, who died a year later from the injuries inflicted on her during the attack. Huang was also on her daily stroll through San Francisco’s Visitacion Valley neighborhood.
Gathron, who represented himself during his trial last fall, was found guilty of 25 counts, including Huang’s murder. Like Watson, Gathron was never charged with a hate crime.
San Francisco Superior Court Judge Eric Fleming announced Dec. 3 that Gathron will serve 2 consecutive life sentences, plus 31 years. Gathron has asked for a re-trial; his next court appearance is March 5.
Racial Motivation
Russell Jeung, co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate, told ACoM that — in both cases — there was no clear racial motivation. “There was no racist language, and no clear evidence of racist intent. It is very difficult to prosecute hate crimes when there is a lack of racist intent,” he said.
Jeung grew up in the neighborhood where Ratanapakdee was attacked. “My mom used to walk that street every day,” he said.
The numbers of hate incidents and crimes against the AAPI community have remained about the same since Stop AAPI Hate was founded in March of 2020. Over half of AAPI adults, and 72% of AAPI youth experienced some form of hate incidents 2024.
Systemic Racism
”What we’re witnessing now is systemic racism: mass detentions, stopping visas from certain countries, the demonization of immigrants,” said Jeung. “It leads to racial profiling.”
In an earlier interview, California Attorney General Rob Bonta told ACoM that hate crimes are notoriously difficult to prosecute. “They require a proof of intent. By design, a hate crime must originate with the hate element, which is often difficult to establish,” he said.
“Hate crimes are an augmentation of sentencing: it is seen as something additional,” said Bonta, adding that hate crimes enhancements add just 2 to 5 years to a sentence.
Fighting Anti-Asian Hate
”Vicha Ratanapakdee’s death became a lightning rod to fight against anti-Asian hate. It was powerful to see so much family and community coming out in support,” said Jeung. “Vicha became a powerful icon for the community. We need to stand together as a pan-Asian community. It is strategic and essential that Asian Americans fight together to battle hate.”
But the community is showing signs of division. Earlier this year, the San Francisco Historic Preservation Committee decided not to grant historic landmark status to the billboard mural in Chinatown commemorating Vicha Ratanapakdee. Jeff Chen, one of the owners of the building, has told Monthanus and her husband that the mural would be taken down.
Watson’s Sentencing
Monthanus told ACoM that several members of the community have written statements about how the brutal attack has impacted their daily lives, including recurring fears as they walk the streets of San Francisco.
“I was very disappointed by the verdict,” said Monthanus. “Jurors did not get to see a picture of my father, taken as he was dying. They did not get to hear about his pain. Jurors did not fully see the facts and the truth,” she said. “I don’t want any other families to experience the pain my family has endured.”
No Intent to Murder
During the trial, Watson testified that he had been having a bad day. Kicked out of his aunt’s house the night before, Watson slept in his car after a traffic accident and short encounter with police.
The next morning, Watson’s car wouldn’t start. He started yelling and shouting, according to trial transcripts. Witnesses testified that Watson shouted at Ratanapakdee: “Why are you looking at me?” He then ran across the street and shoved the 84-year-old man to the ground. Watson testified that he thought Ratanapakdee was in his 40s and did not realize he was elderly.
”In that moment, I wasn’t thinking. Looking back on it, I didn’t think I pushed him that hard,” Watson testified. “I thought he was judging me.”
Watson went back and watched Ratanapakdee on the ground, bleeding out. But he did not call 911. “I was scared the police would arrest me and confuse the situation and think I did something,” he testified.
‘My Father’s Legacy’
Monthanus Ratanapakdee and her family have filed a civil lawsuit against Watson. “It’s not about money; he doesn’t have any,” she said.
”We want him to face the consequences of his actions, and show some remorse,” said Monthanus, adding that Watson never showed remorse during his trial. “He has to learn that having a bad day does not give anyone the right to harm someone else.”
”My father’s legacy cannot end with this verdict,” said Monthanus. “His legacy should be one of teaching young people to respect their elders and treat them with care, so that they can walk safely in their neighborhoods without fear,” she said.
