SF Man Who Admitted Killing Elderly Asian Grandfather Released on Probation by Judge
“This is devastating. An 84-year-old man lost his life, and yet there is no real accountability. Our family followed the law, trusted the system, and still feels unheard. This is not justice. “
We wrote back in January about the case of Vicha “Grandpa Vicha” Ratanapakdee, an 84-year-old Thai man who was walking in his neighborhood one morning in January 2021 when he was viciously pushed to the ground by a man who ran up to him at an accelerated rate of speed. His head hit the pavement, knocking him unconscious. 48 hours later, he passed away.
The incident was caught on video and was one of the many violent crimes against members of the Asian-American community that prompted the Stop Asian Hate campaign.
Viewer discretion advised:
Vicha Ratanapakdee was murdered on camera more than four years ago in Gavin Newsom’s lawless California.
In that time the system has only worked to defend “the mental health breakdown of a teenager”
The “teen’s” trial finally begins Monday
https://t.co/Kdb5WM8QvC— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) December 6, 2025
The trial began in December 2025 and concluded in January 2026, with the suspect, 24-year-old Antoine Watson, admitting he killed the victim but saying he did it because he felt “judged” and had been having a bad day.
His attorney argued the killing wasn’t intentional and was not a malicious targeting. Prosecutors didn’t pursue hate crime charges but did seek a murder conviction. They didn’t get it. Watson was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and assault.
A man runs across the street, shoves an 84-year-old to the ground, photographs his unconscious body, doesn’t call 911, and the victim dies. Verdict: involuntary manslaughter. In San Francisco, ‘I was having a bad day’ is now a defense for killing the elderly.
RIP Grandpa Vicha https://t.co/pN66LgBNgh pic.twitter.com/0LtjUkR5nV
— Garry Tan (@garrytan) January 16, 2026
The family, of course, was devastated. But their pain was only intensified by what happened Thursday:
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.
[…]
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.
Prosecutors and the family had asked for nine years, the maximum amount Watson could have served in prison.
Grandpa Vicha’s daughter, Monthanus Ratanapakdee, issued this statement in response:
“Today’s sentence is deeply disappointing,” Ratanapakdee’s daughter, Monthanus Ratanapakee, said in a statement. “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.”
Ms. Ratanapakdee, an independent candidate who is running for San Francisco District 2 Supervisor, has also shared additional thoughts about the case on X:
This is devastating. An 84-year-old man lost his life, and yet there is no real accountability. Our family followed the law, trusted the system, and still feels unheard. This is not justice. This is why change is needed to truly protect victims and public safety.…
— Monthanus Ratanapakdee (@ratanapakdee) March 27, 2026
This decision is devastating for our family and community. My father was vulnerable, unprovoked, and did nothing to deserve what happened. Accountability matters, and we will continue to stand for safety, dignity, and justice for our seniors. https://t.co/CYvU2zcDQf
— Monthanus Ratanapakdee (@ratanapakdee) March 27, 2026
She also talked about the judge in the case, Linda Colfax, in another post:
In the #GrandpaVicha case, the defendant will serve no prison time at this moment. Judge Colfax ruled that public safety and rehabilitation are better served through probation.
This reflects a pattern of prior leniency, including earlier juvenile proceedings where probation was also given.
Only if probation fails could he serve the full 8 years.
Our family and community are devastated.
The judge issued an 8-year sentence but stayed it, placing him on probation instead. He will only serve prison time if he violates probation.
In the #GrandpaVicha case, the defendant will serve no prison time at this moment. Judge Colfax ruled that public safety and… pic.twitter.com/yNBk9vebTp
— Monthanus Ratanapakdee (@ratanapakdee) March 27, 2026
Here’s the justification Judge Colfax gave:
“I think both Mr. Watson and public safety would be served were Mr. Watson on probation rather than parole,” Colfax said.
The judge said that she thought imprisonment would likely have a “poor impact” on Watson, that he’s expressed remorse, that the jury found that Watson was not a danger to society and that he’d be better rehabilitated through probation. “My goal is to do everything within my very limited powers to protect our community from any future violent acts by Mr. Watson” she added.
“If probation is given again, who will be responsible if this happens again? Who will answer if another innocent person is harmed?” Ratanapakdee asked on X in response.
– Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym “Sister Toldjah” and can be reached via X. –
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Comments
He got of light because he is “oppressed”.
They want to make it legal to kill white people I guess
Whites, Jews and Asians, more broadly.
A thought: people are way harder to kill when they’re packing heat.
Which is why so many places disarm the law abiding.
Because he’s black
I’m just stunned anyone thought they would get any type of justice on the left coast much less San Fransicko
Which is the polite way of saying if this scumbag has another “bad day” and kills yet another person then and only then might he be required to serve the full 8 years of his manslaughter conviction. But I wouldn’t count on it.
And when he kills the next person will Judge Linda Colfax take responsibility? Oh no, she’ll most likely just shrug it all off as collateral damage and that will be it.
It’s all just disgusting. Simply disgusting what these judges are doing.
“It’s good to have immunity!”
I’ve seen stories of crooks let out while on 3 different probations
Preemptive euthanasia (Of the offenders) is required….
(He identified as having a terminal illness and being canadian…)
the only good that can come out of this is that the asian and jewish communities will get together and outthink these rascals
orrrr
these rascals will meet a random act of unkindness ovr and over and over and over again
b/c
cant touch this ( cue the song)
these thuggs are in charge
the judge who allowed this:
her profile.
https://trellis.law/judge/linda.colfax
I pray that when this pos antoine continues his ( hidden by the authorities) activities he happens to meet up with the judge and/or its family
I dont want violence butttt if its going to occur let it be on the perps who allow it
Naturally, this despicable judge was affiliated with the now-corrupted ACLU, and, co-founded the U. Michigan Law School “Journal of Race and Law.”
Impeccable credentials, from the Dhimmi-crat perspective.
Last year, Colfax ordered the release of a Tesla driver charged in a multi-vehicle smash-up that killed 27-year-old Mikhael Romanenko, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. – NY Post, March 27, 2026
‘natch
Like, lesbian judges rock, dude.
He already IS a danger to society. Look at what he did.
Here in Florida we are a republican run state.
The penalty for manslaughter is 15 years in prison.
We have a mandatory enhancement manslaughter of someone over 65 is 30 years in prison.
Only in “red” states can residents be assured that criminal prosecutions and sentencing will be taken seriously, in accordance with robust punitive/retributive justice principles.
In “blue” states, coddling violent criminal sociopaths and recidivist offenders, especially if they are “of color,” is standard operating procedure.
The outcome would be different if a judge was the victim. If “their” class was killed the outcry would be far different. How wrong am I to wish it so?
Precisely — we know what the reaction from the San Francisco Dhimmi-crats would have been, if the victim had been an elderly Arab Muslim “Palestinian,” or, better yet, a homosexual, so-called “trans” man or woman. In those cases, a stiff prison sentence would have been called for, in order to send a message and combat so-called “Islamophobia” or “transphobia.”
But, because the victim in this case was of Asian ethnicity, the Dhimmi-crats and the vile judge couldn’t care less.
The vile Dhimmi-crats made a huge deal about alleged “Asian hate,” during #45’s first term, during the Wuhan virus spread.
But, when it comes down to it, these pukes are happy to let a criminal thug who murdered an elderly Asian man walk free, because the perp is “of color.”
Dhimmi-crats have been coddling criminals and terrorists since the 1960’s. So, while the Dhimmi-crats’ religious belief in the non-incarceration of black criminal sociopaths is at play, here, this judge’s outrageous, indefensible and callous decision is in keeping with the Dhimmi-crats’ long-standing policy of coddling and enabling violent criminal sociopaths.
In the current (L) hierarchy of X Lives Matter, both Asians and Jews are often seen as “too white” to still count as minorities. And if you’re Hispanic, you’re also in danger of losing your protected minority status and being categorized as a “white hispanic” if being counted as a PM doesn’t fit some (L) myth / narrative.
It’s ironic that this is taking place during the same period that (L)s are also hypocritically STILL attacking historical Dead White Men for anti-Asian racism by un-building-naming and un-statue-ing them for the crime of being as prejudiced then as they are now.
‘It’s naive to think that you wouldn’t have taken part in historical atrocities once considered normal if you embrace all the trendy ideas of today.”
Very true.
I am starting to want vigilante violence to make a come back. This is crazy.
It’s well past time
If the wokes don’t want it to happen then they need to do what they don’t want to do.
.
It will eventually come and the whining from the leftist/wokiestas will be loud and shrill. We either have a basic social contract that functions and applies to all or we don’t. Since the leftist/wokiestas seem to be willing to destroy it I really don’t wanna hear their crying when ordinary folks accept that there’s nothing stopping their own vengeance.
That murderous punk should be afraid to get out of jail.
My first thought. But not just against the perp.
Geroni:
This is actually their PLAN, to encourage vigilante justice. This will then give them the excuses they need to “crack down” on the Rep-wing and gun owners (there might be just a wee bit of overlap in those two categories of people).
I guarantee you that if somebody attacked a loved one of mine and then got off scot-free like this animal did that his tenure back on the streets would be very short. The “three esses” would come into play very quickly and quietly, and much like if the snark was a boojum, he’d simply and silently vanish away. Not that I’d ever initiate violence, of course.
The problem with the collectivist/statist/authoritarians now in control of the Dem-wing is that they have NO idea of what they would be unleashing. They have zero knowledge of what things were like before formal police existed when civilizations were starting, and have an equally ZERO understanding that the police do not exist to “prevent” crime, they are there to protect the criminals from the emotional over-reaction of victims. For example, if this particular animal had been captured by a mob of the deceased’s relatives, he would have likely been beaten to death (or possibly torn limb-from-limb) on the spot.
Similarly, when the police and collectivist-run prosecutors stop the punishment of common criminals for both assaults on persons and theft of property, pretty much EVERY crime will start carrying with it a potential death penalty. I mean, why bother breaking both of someone’s elbows and knees when they might identify you the gestaatspolizei? Much easier to just leave the corpse where it falls.
NOTE: I am NOT advocating this! It is simply the logical outcome of the Dem-wing policies, if they continue down this dead-end road. I like rule of law: I simply wish it existed in today’s United States. As it is, we have the multi-tiered “legal” system instead of a justice system:
– Top rank: Anybody famous, rich, in power, or politically-connected with the magic “D” after their name.
– Middle rank: Anybody in one of the magical “protected” classes.
– Bottom rank: Any white male with the audacity to defend themselves or others against the depredations of the other ranks.
Illegals and Criminals are the street soldiers of Marxism to destroy western civilization.
The Europeans let their Illegals run rampant on their citizens.
Tell me again why we should defer to the “authority” of the judicial system?
“Public safety and rehabilitation” would be better served by putting the judge in jail for 8 years. I suggest a transwoman roommate as she no doubt believes transwomen are women.
“In San Francisco, ‘I was having a bad day’ is now a defense for killing the elderly.”
“Our family followed the law, trusted the system, and still feels unheard. This is not justice.“
For all Power given with trust for the attaining an end, being limited by that end, whenever that end is manifestly neglected, or opposed, the trust must necessarily be forfeited, and the Power devolve into the hands of those that gave it, who may place it anew where they shall think best for their safety and security.
–JOHN LOCKE
The great irony here is having to remind San Franciscans of this principle.
“Political power in San Francisco was transferred to a new political party established by the vigilantes, the People’s Party, which ruled until 1867 and was eventually absorbed into the Republican Party. The vigilantes had thus succeeded in their objective of usurping power from the Democratic Party machine that hitherto dominated civic politics in the city…”
Califreakia…. Worse to come. Don’t try that in Florida.
Or any other Southern state. Bubba and the boys won’t stand for it.
.
How is this legal? Why isn’t the judge going to prison?
hopefully the family will handle this quietly / discreetly
no fool in a robe is the ultimate arbiter of right and wrong
condolences to the family and loved ones of the victim
“in certain extreme situations, the law is inadequate. In order to shame its inadequacy, it is necessary to act outside the law. To pursue… natural justice.”
Frank Castle
Thomas Jane “The Punisher” 2004
Yet another Far Left homosexual activist on the bench unwilling to hold a Black killer accountable.
“… public safety would be served were Mr. Watson on probation rather than parole”? No. Society would be better off if Watson and Colfax were removed from it. Watson already should be behind bars but Colfax overruled justice. Such action should be considered criminal misconduct, but it won’t because black robe privilege – you can’t touch this!
If criminals can’t be put behind bars, then the only two options are complete societal collapse – anarchy as the law no longer functions, or vigilantism as members of society take on the role that the enforcers of justice refuse to. While vigilantism is better than anarchy, it’s still a form of societal collapse.
Governmental collapse, not societal.
Nothing feeds Leviathan more certainly than unconsciously accepting the fallacy that government is society,