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Pit Bull Owners Released from Jail After Fatal Attack
 Bail Lowered; Owners Go Home
Breckenridge, TX - Bail for two Breckenridge residents arrested in connection with the dog-mauling death of Tanner Monk was reduced, and both have been released. Jack Smith, 45, and Crystal Watson, 27, were arrested in connection with the death of Tanner. Bail for each person was initially set at $250,000 each but was reduced to $10,000 each.Smith and Watson live next door to the Monk family and are now headed home. Two pit bulls attacked Monk, who was found dead on the road outside of his home. The dogs were shot after they became aggressive toward authorities. Two other dogs belonging to Smith and Watson were ordered destroyed later. Both Smith and Watson are charged with a dog attack resulting in death, a second-degree felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $10,000.
90th District Judge Stephen Crawford issued a gag order in the case June 16th, forbidding the discussion of case details.
Related articles:
05/29/08: Pit Bull Owners Arrested in Death of Tanner Joshua Monk
05/26/08: 2008 Fatality: Video Tribute to Tanner Joshua Monk
05/19/08: 2008 Fatality: Boy Killed by Pit Bulls in Breckenridge, Texas
05/19/08: Roll Call: Texans Killed by Pit Bulls in 2007Labels: criminal trial, Fatality
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San Francisco Dog Mauling Case Back in Court
Original Judge Will Not Hear Retrial
The possible retrial of Marjorie Knoller, whose second-degree murder conviction for the dog mauling death of Diane Whipple in 2001 was later reduced to involuntary manslaughter, moved forward Friday with a decision not to allow the original trial judge to hear the matter.
San Francisco Superior Court Presiding Judge David Ballati denied a motion by Knoller's attorney to have Judge James Warren, the original trial judge, come out of retirement to rule on the case. Warren set aside the murder conviction. He issued the two involuntary manslaughter verdicts instead and four years in prison.
03/17/08: Marjorie Knoller May Go Back to Jail
San Francisco, CA - The case of a woman whose dogs fatally mauled a neighbor in San Francisco is scheduled to be back in court. The hearing in San Francisco Superior Court will center on which judge will get the case of Marjorie Knoller. The original judge in the case has retired.
Knoller was convicted of second-degree murder in 2002 after her Presa Canario escaped and killed her neighbor, Diane Whipple, but the judge reduced the conviction to manslaughter. The California Supreme Court ruled last year that the judge used the wrong legal standard, and ordered the court to reinstate the murder conviction or order a new trial.
Related articles:
03/22/02: SFGate Multimedia Special
03/22/02: The Verdict: Murder
06/05/01: Who's Who in the Whipple Case
06/06/01: The Prosecutors
02/24/02: A Controversial Defender
01/27/01: Powerful Dogs Maul Woman, Kill HerLabels: criminal trial
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No Plea Deal Offered in Multiple Losco Township Dog Mauling Case
No Plea Deal Offered for Diane Cockrell
Livingston County, MI - In what many people refer to as a "multiple homicide," prosecutor David Morse has refused to place a plea bargain on the table for Diane Cockrell.
Police say on September 13, 2007 four American bulldogs belonging to 52-year-old Cockrell, of Fowlerville, mauled to death Edward Gierlach, who lived in Fowlerville, at his cottage on Crofoot Road in Iosco Township, and Cheryl Harper while taking a walk along the same road.
Ms. Cockrell now faces two felony charges of owning dangerous animals causing the deaths of Edward Gierlach and Cheryl Harper. An expert recently testified at a preliminary hearing that bite marks matched impressions of four dogs identified by name as Cowgirl, Cheyenne, Millie and Bozo.
Defense disputes bite evidence:
The attorney representing a Mr. Cockrell, Daniel Blank of Bingham Farms, intends to challenge the reliability of canine bite mark evidence. He claims the evidence lacks scientific reliability. Apparently bite mark evidence from humans has been discredited at least twice in the similar cases in the Detroit Metro area over the past five years.
Related articles:
07/27/08: Coverage of the Double Dog Attack Fatalities in LivingstonLabels: criminal trial
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Double Killing Dog Attack Trial Set
Double Dog Mauling Trial Set
Diane Cockrell was ordered to stand trial last month on two felony counts of possessing dangerous animals causing death and a misdemeanor offense of allowing dogs to stray. A pretrial hearing has been scheduled for Feb. 11 before Livingston County Circuit Court Judge Stanley Latreille. A status conference is set for March 21 and - if a plea bargain cannot be reached - the trial is scheduled for March 24.
Cockrell's four American bulldogs attacked and killed Cheryl Harper, 56, and Edward Gierlach, 91, on Sept. 13 after escaping from the Cockrell property on Crofoot Road, southwest of Howell.
Related articles:
07/27/08: Coverage of the Double Dog Attack Fatalities in LivingstonLabels: criminal trial
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Criminal Charges in Dog Mauling Case that Killed Two
Criminal Charges Filed
Diane Cockrell, the owner of 10 American Bulldogs, of which 4 broke free and killed two people in separate incidences, is being charged with two felony counts. These charges could bring her 15 years in prison. David Morse, the county prosecutor comments:"These are the most severe charges we could have brought. She was aware of the animals' dangerous propensity. She knew they might bite someone or attack someone, and failed to take action to prevent that from happening." Prosecutors also say that Cockrell has no criminal history and that there was no evidence she was training the dogs to fight. James Harper, husband to one of the victims, is spearheading an effort to create new legislation. He wants to limit dog ownership to 3 per location and only one could be of a high-risk breed, such at pit bulls, rottweilers and bulldogs."We want to make sure that dogs like this are registered, like a shotgun, and whoever owns them (is) responsible. An animal of this nature, if out and about in public, should have a muzzle." Related articles:
07/27/08: Coverage of the Double Dog Attack Fatalities in LivingstonLabels: criminal trial
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