Tampa Bay
Coalition
Eye on Diane Whipple Mauling Death News
Coverage
Verdicts Are In ~
Guilty of All Counts
Video
Clips
Prosecution and Defense
Closing Arguments, Rebuttal, Press Conference &
Reading of the Verdicts
Photo's of the
Defense, Prosecutor and Video Clips Court TV. (Website www.courttv.com.)
Award for Sharon
and Jurors Speak.
Mar
24:
Sharon Smith was honored
with Community Service Award and Jurors say that Knoller Was
March 22,
2002: San
Francisco Chronicle
*Dog owner faces
up to life in prison after rare murder conviction in dog-mauling
death.
*Appeals to test
pair's mauling convictions Plenty of fodder for defense, say legal
experts.
*The dog attack
and mauling death case opens the door to new legal rights for gays. Click
Here.
Mar
20: Jury
asks for testimony from Noel, about the aggression of his dogs and about one
incident in which
a neighbor and his
wife were allegedly the subject of a scary
confrontation in the building
where they lived.
Mar
20: Judge
threatens to jail defense attorney for outbursts. Ruiz said that Hammer "wants
to curry favor of the
homosexual and
gay
folks," saying gays
"were the people who were out picketing with Sharon Smith that Diane
Whipple deserved
justice." She did not mention his homosexuality, per say, but, implied as much.
The prosecutor,
James Hammer is an
out gay man, according to Court TV. Shame she wasn't forced to spend some time
in the pokie.
Mar
19: Jury
begins their deliberation but, not before
Prosecutor Jim Hammer attacked defense attorney Nedra Ruiz
for calling victim
Diane Whipple's domestic partner a liar, but he said he would not respond to
Ruiz's allegation that he
was trying to
curry favor with San Francisco's homosexual community.
Mar
18: The
Defense and Prosecution present the jury with emotional and passionate closing
arguments.
Mar 16 &
18:
*Prosecutor slams dog
owners' characters.
*Dogs owner trial down to
final arguments.
*After emotions, trial
comes down to the law.
Read
Articles ~ San Francisco
Chronicle.
Mar 14 &
15:
*Prosecution and Defense
Rest.
*Remorse
would have spared murder charge.
*Defense rests as
defendant shouts in anguish.
Read
Articles ~ Court
TV
Mar
13: Knoller's highly
emotional testimony under direct by her attorney, reverted to a cool persona on
cross. She
verbally sparred
prosecutor, pleading a poor memory, accusing witnesses of falsehoods, she could
not understand the
"context" of a question
and denying she lost control
of the animal.
Mar 12:
Knoller defense rests in San Francisco
dog mauling death of Diane Whipple, cross to start today.
Dog Owner: I
Didn't Blame Victim
Mar 12:
Knoller denied Tuesday that she blamed the victim for the attack, and testified
that her greatest mistake was not understanding how violent her beloved dog could
become. NOTE: See
video clips and
articles below and see how she and
husband did blame
Diane.
Mar
11: San Francisco Chronicle & Court TV.
Marjorie Knoller gave
emotional testimony of the attack
and her efforts to help Diane Whipple.
Tells how
she struggled
to pull her biting dog
off Diane and threw her own body on top of
neighbor to protect her from increasingly
San Francisco
Chronicle & Court TV.
Mar
10:
Diane Whipple's Friends are
Aghast at effort to Blame Her for the Dog Attack
that took her
life.
Mar 8: The
Defense finally may be held accountable for her malicious accusations about
Sharon Smith. Defense Attorney,
Nedra Ruiz's remarks she
made during interview on TV, has her
facing a contempt of court hearing. But, even after Judge Warren's scolding of
Ruiz, she implied that her offensive and slanderous attacks will continue.as will her
dramatic antics
and
behavior.
Mar
7~8: San
Francisco Chronicle News
*Defense Attorney
to Answer for Comments and Remarks That Irk Judge
*Maul Case Lawyer
Claims Victims Partner Lied.
*Witness Describes
Dramatic Delivery of Dogs, Against Defense Non-Fighting Dog Claims. Articles .
Mar 7:
Defense says Sharon was exaggerating or lying to the court. As Ruiz attempts to
blame Sharon for not doing anything
to protect Diane. But,
takes a hit as one of her defense witnesses, caves to cross and speaks of dogs
breed for fighting.
March 4, 5 & 6: The
first five defense witnesses, say dogs were gentle and well behaved when they
strolled the streets
stopped
at a restaurant and copy
shop.
Medical examiner details
wounds using 35 enlarged photographs of each of 77 wounds on a large screen.
Articles
Mar.
1: Knoller's attorney is
relentless in her attempts to blame everyone, but, defendant. When,
Sharon Smith, Diane's
partner, testified she
was next to be blamed. As
neighbor who witnessed attack through
door peephole, tells of dark
shadow over body. Defense
says it was Knoller, not dogs.
(San
Francisco Chronicle)
Feb 28~Mar
1: Witness
Testimony
*Partner of Victim:
Defendants 'Killed Diane'.
*Neighbor Heard Shrieks,
"Help me! Help me!" as neighbors' dogs savagely attacked her.
*Witness testifies
Knoller was "Oddly Calm, Almost Cold" after attack.
perjured
Feb.
26: Defendants ignored
pleas from fearful neighbors to leash and/or muzzle their vicious dogs. As
witness after witness testify, the dogs snarled, lunged and snapped at them. It
appears defendants grand jury testimony was perjured .
Feb.
25: Jury hears of more
encounters as people testify they were fearful of being attacked and or bitten.
And of being from frightened to scared to completely terrified of the defendants
vicious
dogs.
Feb.
21: State
Corrections Department employee testifies about connection with Aryan
Brotherhood inmates, former
neighbors testifies on
two dogs attack and putting a 'death grip on her back' on his little sheltie
(miniature collie) and letter
Evidence
Introduced Feb.
21:
*Investigator
links prison gang to couple accused in the dog mauling of San Francisco woman.
Jury will see the letters
that
*The Jurors
View Grisly Photographs of injuries to Diane's Whiplash body from
mauling.
Feb
20: Witnesses in dog
mauling trial say they warned defendants that their dogs were dangerous.
Women who raised
dogs, called one of the dogs a Big Clown and
not a fierce
predator.
Photo Gallery
& Bio Info:
Superior Judge
James L. Warren,District Attorney Terence Hallinan, Head Prosecutor James Hammer
and Asst. Prosecutor Kimberly Guilfoyle-Newsom prosecuting this
case.
February 19: Opening Statements in Dogs Owners
Trial
The prosecution
and defense give opening statements. opening. Prosecutor offered a convincing
opening. But, the defense attorney, right out of the chute tried to make her
client the victim. She went on forever with her dissertation on dog history.
She had sounded
like she was trying to get the dogs canonized as a Saint. She did tell the Judge her client Marjorie Knoller, would take the stand, no
if, ands, or buts. Will see if she keeps her
word?
Court TV article
includes link to view video
clip of prosecutors
opening statement (36:39 minutes).
Court TV News
Articles: On the Case and Defendants.
*A Case of Twists
and Turns.
*More Drama Than a
Soap Opera.
*Uphill battle for
both sides?
*An Eccentric
Pair.
Click Here
for Four Articles
Posted in This One File.
ABC.Com News Articles Feb
1 ~ Sept 11, 2001 :
*Diane Whipple's
Mother Sues for Wrongful Death
*Mauling Brings
Momentum to Gay Unions Rights
*Dogs Trainer Had
Warned the Owners Before Attack
*Dog Was 'Loaded
Weapon' Set to Go Off Any Time.
*Women's Mauling
Death Followed Earlier Aggression.
*Dogs Attacked and
Killed Woman Had Bitten Before.
*Victim Was
Incredibly Fearful of Her Neighbor's Dogs.
*Dogs Owner Had
Mocked the Victim's Fear of Dogs.
Dogs Owners
Comments Made to Press
*Victim's Perfume
Was What Triggered Dog Attack.
*I Did Everything
Humanly Possible to Stop Attack.