Evidence Unsealed in Dog-Mauling Case

S A N   F R A N C I S C O, March 29 -- Documents unsealed by a judge todaysuggest Marjorie Knoller and Robert Noel struggled to control theirdogs in a series of dangerous incidents before the animals fatallymauled their neighbor.

Knoller and Noel have long said the dogs were gentle. But manyof the newly released reports say the couple barely could controlBane and Hera.

The run-ins allegedly included two attacks on a blind woman andher guide dog. Another dog nearly died after being bitten. The deadwoman, Diane Whipple, had talked of being bitten once before. Andeven Noel nearly lost a finger trying to restrain the male dog,Bane.

Other descriptions of evidence unsealed today suggest thecouple had ample knowledge that the Presa Canarios were dangerousbefore they attacked and killed 33-year-old Whipple on Jan. 26 inthe hallway of their apartment building.

Prisoners Allegedly Sold Attorneys' Services

Correspondence between the couple and their clients — inmates atthe maximum security Pelican Bay State Prison — allegedly showsthat two inmates were selling the lawyers' services as part of abusiness training fighting dogs for people behind bars,investigators said.

The couple's apartment was searched as well as the cell of theinmates — Paul Schneider and Dale Bretches — both members of theracist Aryan Brotherhood serving life without parole.

Sgt. Joe Akin, a guard at the prison, said he discovered lettersindicating the dogs bit a blind woman and her dog on two separateoccasions, according to an affidavit supporting an additionalsearch of the cell.

"Akin also found a letter disguised as legal mail addressed toSchneider from either Noel or Knoller regarding sexual activitybetween Noel, Knoller and the dog Bane," along with nude photos ofKnoller, wrote Carlos Sanchez, a top investigator for the SanFrancisco District Attorney's office.

Sanchez told San Francisco Superior Court Judge Lenard Louiethat investigators believed the dogs Hera and Bane were beingsexually assaulted by Noel and Knoller — an allegation thatultimately did not result in any charges.