Pre-Owned Death of an Angel: The Inside Story of How Justice Prevailed in the San Francisco Dog-Mauling Case (Hardcover) 0971889902 9780971889903

Death of an Angel On January 26 2001 Diane Whipple was mauled to death by two huge dogs. The case fractured into other agendas. Instead of remorse or sympathy by the dog owners there was arrogance confrontation even accusations. Instead of the simple idea of recompense to the life-partner of the victim there was monolithic silence of civil laws that ignored same-sex relationships. Media around the world latched onto the story calling it: the dog mauling case The seriousness of the case was soon apparent. For innumerable talk shows it posed issues of public safety and the responsibilities of animal lovers. Network television brought the issue of the rights of same-sex partners into national prominence. The ultimate irony of this case-from-hell is perhaps that because two attorneys hardened their hearts against the victim of their carelessness several much larger issues now can be debated with informed intensity. Now in a concrete instance the public can see why commitment between two people of the same gender is deserving of many of the same legal protections as those afforded heterosexual couples. By exploring the personalities and motivations of the participants in this drama the author shows how widely the fractures from this case have spread. Such issues as animal rights human responsibility for pet6s the purpose of adoption and the rights of same-gender partners will never be quite the same again. As a result of the events related in this book California Law itself has changed. The investigation of this horrific case was led by the senior officer of the San Francisco General Work Detail Lieutenant Henry Hunter. This book is a tribute to his leadership and the careful prosecution by the District Attorney s Office under the guidance of DA Terence Hallinan and the handling of the jury trial by prosecutors ADA James Hammer and ADA Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom. This book is about those men and women of law and order who saw that justice ultimately prevailed in the monstrous and preventable death of a wonderful human being.