Prosecutors Say Pair Conspired in Dog Ring

The keepers of two dogs involved in the fatal mauling of a San Francisco woman conspired with prison inmates to breed dogs “trained to fight, attack or kill,” prosecutors said Wednesday.

Prosecutor James Hammer announced the allegations against Robert Noel and his wife, Marjorie Knoller, as he urged a judge not to throw out evidence that police had seized from the couple’s apartment.

The couple’s two dogs attacked and killed 33-year-old Diane Whipple on Jan. 26 in the apartment building in which they all lived.

Noel, who said he and his wife “sincerely regretted” the woman’s death, said he was not involved in any such conspiracy.

“I’m also involved in a conspiracy to eat lunch,” he quipped in a courthouse interview.

Dist. Atty. Terence Hallinan is building a case against the pair and may file criminal charges soon. For conviction, he must prove the couple knew, or had reason to believe, that the dogs were dangerous.

Police searched the couple’s apartment Feb. 8 and seized undisclosed materials. Noel has denied the dogs were dangerous and said he had no reason to believe they would attack and kill somebody.

Animal control officials killed Bane, the dog said to be Whipple’s main attacker. The other dog, Hera, remains in the custody of animal control officers.

Noel, a lawyer, said some evidence taken from his apartment is confidential because it involves communications between him and a client--Pelican Bay State Prison inmate Paul Schneider--and Schneider’s cellmate Dale Bretches. Prison officials said the inmates ran an illegal fighting-dog ring that included the two dogs involved in Whipple’s mauling.