Paris Hilton From jailbird to songbird

Diane Whipple fatal victim of a dog attack

Diane Alexis Whipple (January 21, 1968 Ð January 26, 2001) was a lacrosse player and coach, who is best known as the fatal victim of a dog attack in San Francisco in January 2001. The dogs involved were two Presa Canario/mastiff mixes named Bane (male) and Hera (female), owned by neighbors living in the same apartment building.

Death

Whipple was killed on January 26, 2001 by two large Presa Canario/mastiff dogs who attacked her in the hallway of the apartment building. The dogs were owned by neighbors, Marjorie Knoller and her husband Robert Noel, both attorneys. Knoller, a small woman, failed to restrain her dogs when they attacked Whipple. Noel was not present during the attack.

The jury found Noel and Knoller guilty of involuntary manslaughter and owning a mischievous animal that caused the death of a human being. The jury also found Knoller guilty of second degree murder. Their convictions were based on the claim that they knew the dogs were aggressive towards other people and did not take sufficient precautions with such large and dangerous animals. Whether they had actually trained the dogs to attack and fight remained unclear.