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Arraignment postponed in dog mauling case

Noel, left, and Knoller face charges stemming from a fatal dog attack in San Francisco.

RED BLUFF, California (CNN) -- The arraignment of the couple charged in connection with a fatal dog attack in San Francisco has been postponed until April 13th.

Marjorie Knoller is being held on $2 million bail on charges of second degree murder, involuntary manslaughter and keeping a mischievous animal that killed a human being.

Her husband, Robert Noel is charged with involuntary manslaughter and keeping a mischievous animal that killed a human being. He is being held on $1million bail.

AUDIO San Francisco District Attorney Terence Hallinan explains why Marjorie Knoller was charged with second-degree murder in the dog attack on Diane Whipple. 337k/30 sec. WAV sound  DOCUMENTS • Read the indictment (People v. Knoller and Noel) (FindLaw) (PDF) • Read the hearing account of the California dog attack (FindLaw) (PDF) Documents in PDF format require Adobe Acrobat Reader for viewing.  VIDEO CNN's Rusty Dornin explains the background of the San Francisco dog attack case Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)  ALSO Bite pattern of second dog in fatal attack to be checked Owner gives account of fatal dog attack  MESSAGE BOARDS Pet laws

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The charges stem from the death of Diane Whipple, 33, who was mauled to death Jan. 26 by two large mastiff dogs the couple was caring for. The attack took place in the hallway of their apartment building in San Francisco, as Knoller tried to control the dogs. Noel was not there at the time.

A deputy clerk for the Tehama Superior Court said the two are to be arraigned at 9:30 a.m. PT (12:30 p.m. ET) Thursday in San Francisco.

Noel and Knoller were shackled during the 20-minute hearing and wore Tehama County jail jumpsuits. They appeared before the judge separately.

The couple was indicted Tuesday, hours after Knoller finished testifying in front of a grand jury. They were arrested in a house in Corning, California, about 150 miles north of San Francisco.

Noel and Knoller, both of whom are attorneys, said they were caring for the dogs -- Presa Canario-mastiffs each weighing more than 100 pounds -- on behalf of a Pelican Bay Prison inmate.

Under the California penal code, any person owning, or having custody of a dog trained to attack or kill may be held liable should the dog kill a human. The felony carries a maximum of four years in state prison.

San Francisco District Attorney Terence Hallinan said Knoller could be sentenced to more than 15 years to life in prison if convicted on all counts.

Hera, the female dog, was ordered to receive a lethal injection by the San Francisco Animal Control Department, but has not been destroyed because she may be used as evidence in the case.

Bane, the male dog, was put to death soon after the attack.

Bite pattern of second dog in fatal attack to be checked
March 9, 2001
Owner gives account of fatal dog attack
February 2, 2001

San Francisco Police Department
Pelican Bay State Prison

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