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Dog Attack
Diane Whipple, a 33-year-old lacrosse coach, was violently attacked and killed by her neighbor's dogs in the hallway of her apartment building in San Francisco. The dogs' owner, Marjorie Knoller, had been returning to her apartment and claimed she tried to stop the dogs, but failed. Her husband, and co-owner, Robert Noel, was not with her at the time.
Follow-Up
Sharon Smith was Diane's girlfriend for seven years and lived with her in the apartment complex where she was killed. Sharon claims that the dogs bit Diane once before when Robert Noel was present.
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Marjorie Knoller is charged with second-degree murder and faces a prison term of 15 years to a life sentence. |
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Robert Noel is charged with involuntary manslaughter and could face a maximum of four years if convicted. |
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Animal control destroyed one of the dogs immediately after the incident, but the dogs' owners are appealing the judge's order to destroy the second dog. |
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Some have described the dog owners as "insensitive and unsympathetic" regarding the attack. |
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The trial has been moved to Los Angeles, and court will be in session in January, 2002. |
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