'Grandpa Vicha' case: Fatal attack on 84-year-old San Francisco man finally headed to trial

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- More than four years after a fatal attack on an 84-year-old San Francisco man was caught on surveillance camera, the murder and elder abuse case is heading to trial.

The public defender asked that charges against Antoine Watson be dismissed, arguing an absence of malice and that Watson didn't know Vicha Ratanapakdee was, in fact, elderly.

Surveillance video shows Watson running at Ratanapakdee and knocking him down in the Anza Vista neighborhood in January 2021.

VIDEO: 84-year-old killed after horrific daytime attack caught on video in San Francisco

(WARNING: This video may be disturbing to some.) An 84-year old man is dead after a horrific daytime attack in San Francisco's Anza Vista neighborhood. Police say their suspect Antoine Watson, 19, attacked the senior along Anza Vista and Fortuna avenues Thursday morning.

On Tuesday, Judge Alexandra Robert Gordon ruled the charges should stand, and that comes as a relief to the victim's family including Eric Lawson, Ratanapakdee's son-in-law.

He told the I-Team's Dan Noyes after the hearing, "We were stressed the whole week coming up to it and when it didn't go through, we had to come back another day, and we're just like what's going on? So, the extra delay really shook our confidence in the system and the preparedness of everybody."

The defendant's family also appeared in court Tuesday but declined to speak with the I-Team. Watson's trial is now set to begin April 25.

"This case is extremely tragic and difficult for everyone involved," Watson's attorney, deputy public defender Anita Nabha emailed the I-Team. "But not all of the facts about what happened have come out. This was not a premeditated act by Mr. Watson, and he never intended for Mr. Ratanapakdee to die. We are looking forward to showing this to the jury at trial."