A 69-year-old woman who was sentenced to 99 years after being convicted of murdering her husband saw her conviction upheld by the state appeals court.

Linda Doyle, 69, was convicted in Baldwin County Circuit Court on Feb. 17, 2022. Her conviction was affirmed June 16 by the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals, according to Attorney General Steve Marshall.

Evidence at trial showed that on the night of July 30, 2019, Doyle called 911 claiming she had been stabbed by her husband. Police responded to the residence and found her husband, James Doyle, lying dead on the living room floor.

According to the state, Doyle told police that after she and her husband got into an argument, he came at her with a butcher knife. Police, however, were suspicious of Doyle’s story and even a private investigator hired by the woman could find nothing to substantiate her allegations. Investigators also discovered that she had sought both a hitman and an untraceable firearm and told someone she was going to kill her husband.

Baldwin County District Attorney Robert Wilters’ office prosecuted the case and obtained the guilty verdict. Doyle was sentenced to 99 years’ imprisonment. Doyle sought to have her conviction reversed on appeal.

The Attorney General's Criminal Appeals Division handled the case during the appeals process, arguing for the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals to affirm Doyle’s conviction.