San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju, whose office defended Watson, also said at his trial that the defendant is “fully remorseful for his mistake.”
The Office of the San Francisco Public Defender did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment on Watson’s sentencing.
Footage of the attack was captured on a neighbor’s security camera and spread across social media, prompting a surge in activism over a rise in anti-Asian crimes driven by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hundreds of people across several U.S. cities commemorated the anniversary of Ratanapakdee’s death in 2022, seeking justice for Asian Americans who have been harassed, assaulted and even killed in alarming numbers.
Asians in America have long been subject to prejudice and discrimination, but the attacks escalated sharply after COVID-19 first appeared in late 2019 in Wuhan, China.
More than 10,000 hate incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders were reported to the Stop AAPI Hate coalition from March 2020 through September 2021.
A group of demonstrators hold signs that say ‘Stop Asian Hate’ during a vigil and rally in San Francisco’s Chinatown on March 20, 2021. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)
While the Ratanapakdee family asserts he was attacked because of his race, hate crime charges were not filed and the argument was not raised in trial.
Prosecutors have said hate crimes are difficult to prove absent statements by the suspect.