The case against a 23-year-old man who allegedly pushed an elderly man to his death in San Francisco four years ago – a flashpoint in the “Stop Asian Hate” movement – was delayed once again Friday. The attack on the 84-year-old man affectionately known as “Grandpa Vicha” gained intern ational attention. In January 2021, he was forcefully shoved to the ground and died two days later from his head injuries. Antoine Watson, who was 19 at the time of the attack, was arrested and has been in jail since February 2021 on charges of murder, elder abuse, and assault with a deadly weapon after pleading not guilty to the felonies. Vicha’s family expected to learn Friday whether the judge would accept a defense motion reducing Watson’s charge from murder to manslaughter, but the judge continued the case until next week. “We thought for sure that we were going to know if it was going to go to trial or if it was going to be reduced to manslaughter,” Vicha’s son-in-law, Eric Lawson, said. “That was today. Another delay on something that we thought was a formality just to get to the trial. It’s very disappointing.” Jan 28, 2024 Memorial marks 3 years since deadly San Francisco attack on ‘Grandpa Vicha' San Francisco Jan 25, 2024 ‘He must be proud of me': Honoring ‘Grandpa Vicha' 3 years after he was killed San Francisco Oct 1, 2022 San Francisco Renames Street in Honor of ‘Grandpa Vicha' Watson’s attorney, Anita Nabha, addressed why the case has taken so long, saying, “it’s a combination of factors.” “The case was filed in 2021 amidst the COVID backlog and so there were a lot of cases that were put on hold as a result of that,” Nabha said. “Sometimes even when cases seem factually very simple, there is a lot of important work that needs to be done to adequately work up a case.” In the meantime, Vicha’s family will continue to wait for an answer they said has taken far too long to get. “It has been frustrating for my family,” Vicha’s daughter, Monthanus Ratanapakdee, said. “It has been four years since my dad died. I came here for the court hearing every month, twice a month. It’s hard for me. It’s painful. Waiting for a long time, almost four years.” ...read more read less