Very Sad

The crazy San Francisco dog attack case takes another turn. I have to say that I am VERY disappointed with the murder charge being reinstated. The article I have linked to does not fully describe the case, but I have read a lot about it and watched the great American Justice documentary about it.

This crazy couple, the Knoller-Noels, have some crazy sexual relationship with an adult convict who is also a white supremacist. They have two dogs, which are supposed to be supremacist attack dogs, but there is little evidence that they were really trained this way. One day when Knoller is taking the dogs home from a walk, one dog goes absolutely berserk and attacks a neighbor Dianne Whipple. Ms. Whipple was virtually torn apart by the dog. Ms. Knoller, the owner, threw herself on the dog to try to stop that attack, and her clothes were shredded and she was cut up and bleeding everywhere. The case gets complicated (I don't understand why, but it did) by the fact that Ms. Whipple was gay. Now the headline is like "White Supremacist Attack Dog Kills Lesbian."

Anyway, the long and short of it is that there was a second degree murder conviction, but the charge was CORRECTLY reduced to involutary manslaughter. Then the CA Supreme Court remanded the case back to the trial court and the court reinstated the murder charge! I am totally offended by this charge. How can it be murder when Knoller and her dogs had no idea Whipple would be there in the apartment building hallway, Knoller did not direct her dogs to attack, Knoller tried to stop the attack, and there is no evidence that the "white supremecist" dog had any idea that Whipple was a lesbian? This is clearly involuntary manslaughter. The dog should be (and was) put down, and the owners need to face criminal charges and go to jail. But murder?

The only reason that this is murder is because the Knoller-Noels are such total freaks and are hated by the community because they are perverts and biggots. They have made comments that blame the victim for the attack. They are fully and totally hated by the community at large in San Francisco. The fact that you are some biggot freak who adopted a jailed white supremacist who you are having sex with does not change the facts surrounding the case. Murder necessitates an intentionality which was totally lacking in this case. The Knoller-Noels did a lot of things which are wrong and criminal (most dog attacks cases result as a municipal fine and possibly a civil action, never criminal charges), and they should be punished criminally. But murder? That is ridiculous. I am disappointed in the judge. She has clearly been led by her passions in this case.