A trial began on Monday for the man accused of the 2021 murder of Vicha Ratanapakdee, an elderly San Francisco man killed in an unprovoked attack that helped galvanize a national anti-Asian hate movement.  

On January 28, 2021, Ratanapakdee was violently shoved to the ground while on a routine morning walk near his home in the city's Anza Vista neighborhood; the attack was captured in a surveillance video that went viral. 

The 84-year-old Thai immigrant, known among his family and community as "Grandpa Vicha," struck his head on a garage door and sidewalk. He never regained consciousness and died two days later.

The suspect, Antoine Watson, who was 19 years old at the time of his arrest on Jan. 30, 2021, was charged with murder, elder abuse, and assault with a deadly weapon. Opening statements began on Monday.

Video of the attack helped ignite a national "Stop Asian Hate" movement, bringing wider attention to the surge of anti-Asian violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. Former San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin did not charge the case as a hate crime, saying that the evidence did not show racial motivation, which sparked outrage from Ratanapakdee's family and the Asian community. The case was a key factor in Boudin's recall from office. His successor, Brooke Jenkins, has not added a hate crime charge since taking office as district attorney.

Watson has pleaded not guilty, and his defense has argued that the assault stemmed from a mental health breakdown and a stressful encounter with police earlier that morning.  

The start of the trial was delayed for years, with both the defense and prosecutors presenting motions and disputes over evidence and discovery, along with court calendar conflicts that have pushed the estimated six-week trial date back multiple times.