People gathered in San Francisco’s Anza Vista neighborhood to honor a man who affectionately came to be known as Grandpa Vicha.The 84-year-old was thrown to the ground in a deadly and unprovoked attack five years ago. His death was a flashpoint in the movement to stop Asian hate.There were flowers here at what’s now known as Vicha Ratanapakdee Way. People were honoring his legacy, supporting victims of violence and highlighting a commitment to safety.The family says even five years later, their grief is still a very hard day for them. Five years later, he never came back home.This gathering comes at the same time a jury issued a key ruling that could determine how long Vicha’s attacker will remain in prison.The jury has already convicted Antione Watson of involuntary manslaughter and assault, but the maximum sentence for involuntary manslaughter is four years and Watson has already served longer than that waiting to face trial.That’s why prosecutors asked the jury to rule on so-called aggravating factors that could add time to Watson’s eventual sentence.Those factors included the claim that the attack involved a high degree of cruelty and callousness and that the victim was particularly vulnerable.Vicha was attacked while on his morning walk, and video of the attack showed Watson returning to the scene of the crime and standing over the victim. Wednesday, the jury found two of the three aggravating factors to be true.Moments after they handed in their decision, the district attorney and public defender’s office spoke about the case.“As a prosecutor, we know that we have to respect the jury’s decision and we do that in every single case. This jury spent weeks listening to the evidence in this trial and arrived where they did, each and every day my lawyers go to court and put on their best case and that was no different in this trial,” said Brooke Jenkins, SF district attorney.“I very quickly saw this was an involuntary manslaughter and assault I think I made those comments pretty early on, I think that any attorney who looks at this case closely would know that, I know that this jury saw that pretty quickly about four or five hours after all the testimony, so I think that the verdict is very consistent with the facts and the law,” said Anita Nabha, managing atty with the SF Public Defender’s Office.This was a high-profile case in the greater movement to stop Asian hate. Many say they’re still upset the jury didn’t convict Watson of murder, and they were at the vigil, reaffirming their commitment to safety and justice for all seniors.Sentencing is expected to happen in a matter of weeks.
Friends and family in San Francisco gather to honor Grandpa Vicha
