US man found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in death of elderly Asian man | San Francisco
A 24-year-old man has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of an elderly Thai man whose slaying in San Francisco in 2021 helped spark a national movement against anti-Asian American violence.
The jury found Antoine Watson not guilty of murder when it announced its verdict on Thursday in the January 2021 attack on 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee. Jurors found Watson guilty of lesser charges of involuntary manslaughter and assault.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins’ office declined to comment, saying the jury was still out. Jurors will return Jan. 26 to hear arguments on aggravating factors, and sentencing will be scheduled after that process is completed, the office said in an email.
When Ratanapakdee went for his usual morning walk in the quiet neighborhood where he lived with his wife, daughter and family, Watson attacked him and knocked him to the ground. The encounter was captured on a neighbor’s security camera. Ratanapakdee died two days later and never regained consciousness.
His family said he was attacked because of his race, but no hate crime charges were filed and the allegation was not brought up at the hearing. Prosecutors said it is difficult to prove the absence of a suspect in hate crimes.
Watson testified at trial that he was confused and angry during the unprovoked attack. KRON-TV. He said he was angry and didn’t know Ratanapakdee was Asian or old.
San Francisco public defender Mano Raju, whose office represented Watson, offered his condolences to the victim’s family and said the defendant “completely regrets his mistake.”
“Although this death is a terrible tragedy and has attracted media attention, the importance of our legal system is that it gives us the chance to take a balanced look at the facts,” he said in a statement.
Hundreds of people who attended commemorations of the anniversary of Ratanapakdee’s death in 2021 in five other US cities were seeking justice for Asian Americans, who have been harassed, attacked and even killed in alarming numbers since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Asians in the United States have long faced prejudice and discrimination, but attacks rose sharply after the coronavirus first emerged in Wuhan, China, in late 2019. From March 2020 to September 2021, more than 10,000 hate incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders were reported to the Stop AAPI Hate coalition.
Incidents included avoidance, racial taunts and physical attacks.
