The path toward justice and a court trial in the murder of Vicha Ratanapakdee took yet another detour today at the San Francisco Hall of Justice. Superior Court Judge Teresa Caffese granted the district attorney’s request to continue the beginning of trial for two weeks to Wednesday, Oct. 15.
Even after 55 months since the murder of Grandpa Vicha (as he has become known by community members and supporters locally and internationally,) the public defender and district attorney are jousting over “new evidence, this time in the form of a condensed version of already produced security camera video footage and the notes of a medical expert.
Prior to her granting the district attorney’s request for a two-week continuance, Judge Caffese sought assurances from both that there would be no further requests for continuances.
While court delays are often blamed on defense attorneys using them as a way to frustrate the criminal justice process or make more likely the prospect of forgetful or unavailable witnesses, the continuance requests in Grandpa Vicha’s case, at least in 2025, have more frequently been made by the prosecution. Under California law, judges routinely grant continuances when the prosecutor is trying another murder case in progress, but only for 10 days at a time. Throughout the spring and summer, this consideration has produced numerous stops and starts for this case to advance to trial.
The current dispute revolves around a 24-four minute videotape the public defender has created that is intended to show key points taken from nine hours of videotape of the crime scene provided by the district attorney. In court, the public defender acknowledged some enhancements and changes to the videotape for future juror viewing but minimized their significance and denied any distortions on the tape, the source of which is the video originally provided by the prosecutor.
A second issue for delay relates to a medical expert’s notes accompanying a previous report. Again, the district attorney sought time to have his expert review the notes while the public defender disagreed that any additional time was needed. While both subjects of the delay might ultimately not be subjects of dispute, the district attorney argued that it takes time to determine that. He also noted that neither he, nor the public defender, nor Judge Caffese was a medical expert who could properly evaluate the significance and meaning of the medical notes. Judge Caffese observed that the notes related to the cause of death.
Judge Caffese concluded that, while she wanted to send the case to a trial judge, doing so would not ease or speed the resolution of these disputes, could delay jury selection, and take up additional judicial resources. Just last week, an appellate court reversed a ruling by Judge Caffese to continue a different case, which resulted in the dismissal of rape charges.
Prior to her granting the district attorney’s request for a two-week continuance, Judge Caffese sought assurances from both that there would be no further requests for continuances. While she did not obtain any guarantees, both sides expect, barring unforeseen circumstances, that trial will begin in October. The victim’s family and the defendant’s family wait for justice and a trial in the murder of Grandpa Vicha.
