It was just after 4:00 PM on a Friday in January 2001. Diane Whipple, a 33-year-old lacrosse coach at St. Mary’s College, was hauling bags of groceries toward her apartment on the sixth floor of a swanky Pacific Heights building. She never made it through her front door.
What happened next became one of the most disturbing and legally complex stories in California history. Two massive Presa Canario dogs—Bane, weighing in at 140 pounds, and Hera, at 100 pounds—burst into the hallway with their owner, Marjorie Fran Knoller. Within seconds, the hallway turned into a scene of absolute carnage.
By the time the police arrived, they found a nightmare. Blood was smeared four feet up the walls. Diane was barely alive, her clothing shredded, having suffered 77 separate wounds. She died hours later at San Francisco General Hospital.
The Case of the "Dogs of War"
The death of Diane Whipple wasn't just a tragic accident. It was the result of a bizarre and frankly terrifying series of choices made by her neighbors, Marjorie Knoller and Robert Noel. These two were lawyers, but they weren't exactly doing standard corporate law.
They were looking after these dogs for a client of theirs named Paul "Cornfed" Schneider. Schneider wasn't just any client; he was a high-ranking member of the Aryan Brotherhood serving life at Pelican Bay State Prison. He was trying to run a guard dog business from behind bars called "Dog-O-War."
Honestly, the details get weirder. Just days after the attack, while Diane’s partner Sharon Smith was grieving, Knoller and Noel actually legally adopted the 38-year-old inmate Schneider as their son.
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A History of Warnings Ignored
People often think this mauling came out of nowhere. It didn't.
Before the fatal afternoon, there were at least 30 recorded incidents of these dogs being out of control. They had snapped at neighbors, lunged at people in the elevator, and even bitten a man a year prior. A veterinarian had specifically warned the couple in a letter that these dogs were "huge" and could be dangerous.
Knoller and Noel didn't care. They didn't muzzle the dogs. They didn't even use proper restraints. In fact, a professional dog walker once told Noel to muzzle them, and he basically told her to shut up and used an offensive slur.
The Trial That Shocked San Francisco
When the criminal trial finally started, the city was so enraged that the venue had to be moved to Los Angeles. You’ve probably seen some of the clips—they are wild. Knoller’s defense attorney, Nedra Ruiz, actually crawled on the floor in front of the jury to "re-create" the attack.
The prosecution’s argument was simple: Knoller and Noel knew they had "mischievous" animals that were a threat to life, and they showed a "conscious disregard" for that risk.
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Marjorie Knoller was eventually convicted of second-degree murder. This was a massive deal because, in California, it's incredibly rare for a dog owner to be charged with murder instead of just manslaughter. Her husband, Robert Noel, who wasn't home at the time of the attack, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter.
The Legal Rollercoaster
The legal battle didn't end with the verdict.
- 2002: Judge James Warren actually threw out the murder conviction, saying Knoller didn't realize there was a "high probability" of death.
- 2005-2007: The state fought back. The case went all the way to the California Supreme Court to define what "implied malice" actually means.
- 2008: The murder conviction was officially reinstated. Knoller was sentenced to 15 years to life.
Why This Case Still Matters Today
Most people remember the dogs, but the death of Diane Whipple actually changed American law for the better in a way many don't realize.
At the time, Sharon Smith (Diane’s partner) had no legal standing to sue for wrongful death. Because they weren't married—and couldn't be in 2001—the law basically treated them as roommates. Sharon refused to accept that.
She fought a landmark civil case that eventually led the California legislature to change the law. It was the first time a same-sex partner in the U.S. was granted the right to sue for wrongful death. It was a massive stepping stone toward the LGBTQ+ rights we see today.
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Where Are They Now?
Robert Noel served his time and was released in 2003. He died in a nursing home in 2018 on his 77th birthday.
Marjorie Knoller is still behind bars. She’s now in her 70s. She has been denied parole multiple times, most recently in 2019 and 2023. During her hearings, she has often struggled to show what the board considers "genuine remorse," sometimes still appearing to deflect blame.
Lessons in Responsibility
If you take anything away from this tragedy, let it be these three things:
- Owner Liability is Absolute: If you own a powerful breed and there's a history of aggression, the law in most states now looks at you as if you're holding a loaded gun.
- Report the "Small" Incidents: Many of the neighbors in the Pacific Heights building regretted not filing formal police reports after the dogs lunged at them. Those reports could have forced a seizure of the animals before the mauling happened.
- Advocacy Matters: Sharon Smith’s refusal to be "just a roommate" changed the legal landscape for millions of people.
To stay informed on local safety or dog owner responsibilities, check your municipal codes regarding "vicious animal" designations. Most cities now allow you to petition for a hearing if a neighbor’s dog shows repeated aggression. Taking that step isn't being a "bad neighbor"—it's preventing a potential tragedy.