San Francisco Judge Frees Man Who Killed 84-Year-Old ‘Grandpa Vicha’ in Unprovoked Attack After Citing Murderer’s ‘Traumatic Childhood,’ Releases Him on Probation

A San Francisco Superior Court activist judge has ordered the immediate release and probation of Antoine Watson, the man convicted in the 2021 unprovoked killing of 84-year-old Thai immigrant Vicha Ratanapakdee, widely known as “Grandpa Vicha.”

On Thursday, Judge Linda Colfax sentenced Watson to a total of eight years but suspended the remaining portion of the term after giving him credit for approximately five years already served in San Francisco County Jail.

Watson, now 25, was...