Defendant testifies in 2021 San Francisco ‘Grandpa Vicha’ murder case

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — This month marks five years since the death of 84-year-old “Grandpa Vicha” – that’s what friends and loved ones in San Francisco’s Anza Vista neighborhood called him. Tuesday, for the first time, the defendant accused of killing Vicha Ratanapakdee by shoving him to the ground testified about what was going through his mind during the attack.

That morning was not going well for Antoine Watson, 19 years old at the time. Police cited him for reckless driving and speeding, then his car broke down – where Grandpa Vicha was out for his morning walk.

Judge Linda Colfax would not let us record Antoine Watson’s testimony or show his face, but he described being upset about his car breaking down, that his girlfriend was judging him, so he got out of the car because “I didn’t want to cry in front of her.” He started screaming, punched another car, then “I remember someone staring at me. I got to the man and just pushed him. I felt he was judging me, too.”

The defense replayed the surveillance video again and again; 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee fell to the ground, striking his head, and died in the hospital two days later. His daughter was there in court listening to Watson; she broke down in tears several times.

“I think this guy is no remorse,” Monthanus Ratanapakdee told the I-Team’s Dan Noyes. “He saw my dad on the ground. His head’s all over the blood. You know, when he, no one to help him. Yeah. He intend to assault my father.”

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On the stand, Watson said he didn’t notice Vicha’s age or race before pushing him. The public defender asked point blank, “Why did you push him?” Watson answered, “At that moment, I wasn’t thinking.” Watson also admitted he failed to call 911 because “I was scared the police might arrest me. I was panicking.”

Monthanus Ratanapakdee: “That’s where the very worst part for when I heard that, you know.”
Dan Noyes: “Him not calling 911?”
Ratanapakdee: “Yeah. Not calling 911 PRN ambulance. And hopefully the jury can see the facts and the truth of the story.”

After he pushed Vicha to the ground, Watson ran back to his car, got his cellphone, ran back to Vicha and kneeled down. He said he wanted to see if Vicha was hurt and that’s when he noticed how old he was. Late in the day, the prosecution argued that, since he is testifying, Watson’s record as a juvenile should be allowed into evidence.

Take a look at more stories by the ABC7 News I-Team.