Dog Attack Suspects Plead for Lower Bail

Defense lawyers tried to convince a judge Friday that Marjorie Knoller and Robert Noel, the lawyer couple accused in the dog-mauling death of Diane Whipple, deserve to have their bail reduced.

Knoller faces a second-degree murder charge and Noel faces an involuntary manslaughter charge in Whipple’s death Jan. 26. Both face charges of keeping a mischievous dog that killed a human being.

Knoller’s lawyer, Nedra Ruiz, presented her client as a “nice Jewish girl from Brooklyn” with no prior criminal record.

“There’s nothing in this evidence to show she was anything but brave in the face of a tragedy that would strike most people speechless, that might dement a person,” Ruiz said. “She tried to use whatever strength she had to protect this woman.”

Ruiz read letters from Knoller’s friends and clients trying to show her community ties and other reasons she’s not a flight risk.

“Her actions here show great courage, her actions here show great responsibility,” Ruiz told Judge James Warren.

Prosecutor Jim Hammer disagreed. “If Marjorie Knoller’s such a hero, why didn’t she give first aid to Diane Whipple,” he said in court. “If Marjorie Knoller’s such a hero, why didn’t she call 911? And if Marjorie Knoller’s such a hero, why did she go on national television and blame Diane Whipple for her own death?”

Hammer argued that the couple tried to flee after testifying before a grand jury in March.

Mark Gamble, a San Francisco police officer, testified that unmarked police vehicles followed the couple north and watched them make numerous evasive actions, including reaching speeds of 90 mph. They were arrested in Corning, about 170 miles north of San Francisco.

Bruce Hotchkiss, Noel’s lawyer, suggested that Knoller and Noel feared for their safety after receiving 300 threatening phone calls and 20 death threats.

Hammer also argued the couple remain a threat because of their close ties to the Aryan Brotherhood prison gang.

Bane and Hera, the dogs involved in the attack against Whipple, were being kept by the couple for two Pelican Bay State Prison inmates who authorities say are members of the gang. Bane was killed after the incident and Hera remains at the city’s animal shelter.

Knoller is seeking to reduce her $2-million bail. Her husband is being held on $1-million bail.