Lawyer whose dogs killed neighbour gets four years
Marjorie Knoller, 47, had been found guilty by a jury of involuntary manslaughter and having a mischievous dog that killed someone.
The victim, college lacrosse coach Diane Whipple, 33, was attacked and killed by two huge Presa Canario dogs belonging to Knoller and her husband Robert Noel in her apartment hallway in San Francisco last year.
She bled to death in January 2001 after having most of her throat ripped out.
In San Francisco yesterday, Superior Court Judge James Warren sentenced first offender Knoller to the maximum four years on the charges.
He said she had shown no remorse and had lied under oath in denying that her dogs were dangerous.
He also said she had ignored evidence that the dogs could kill somebody.
Judge Warren told Knoller: “In your efforts to avoid responsibility for this crime, you knowingly committed perjury time and time again.”
He added: “You knew those dogs were dangerous, you knew you could not control them, you took them outside anyway and it was clear at some point someone was going to get hurt by those dogs.”
Knoller and her 60-year-old husband Noel must also pay damages of nearly $8,000 to Ms Whipple’s long-term partner Sharon Smith.
Knoller’s husband has already been sentenced to the maximum four years in prison on the same charges as his wife.
Last month the judge threw out a murder conviction against Knoller.
She was originally convicted by a jury of second degree murder which meant she could have faced 15 years to life in prison.
But Judge Warren said the evidence did not support that conviction and ordered a new trial.
Knoller testified that she tried to throw herself between the animals and Ms Whipple when they attacked her after Knoller had taken them for a walk.
Both dogs, which were from a rare breed used for fighting, have been destroyed.
Knoller, who has already served 18 months in prison, is expected to appeal yesterday’s sentence.
