GADSDEN — A federal appeals court has upheld the denial of habeas corpus relief for Gadsden child murderer Timothy Boyle, leaving intact his capital murder conviction and death sentence in the death of 2-year-old Savannah White.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced Tuesday that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed a previous ruling by the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama denying Boyle’s request for federal habeas relief. The decision was issued June 23.

Boyle was convicted in Etowah County Circuit Court and sentenced to death on March 12, 2010, for the capital murder of Savannah White, who was under the age of 14 at the time of her death.

According to court records, Boyle was dating the child’s mother, Melissa White, in 2005. Prosecutors presented evidence during the trial that Boyle had subjected Savannah to repeated abuse, including incidents witnessed by family members.

Evidence showed that in late October 2005, Boyle assaulted the child in a bathroom while her older sister, H.D., watched through a partially opened door. Testimony indicated Boyle threw Savannah against a bathtub wall and repeatedly held her underwater. The child later became unresponsive and was taken to a hospital, where Boyle reportedly provided conflicting explanations about her injuries.

Savannah was pronounced dead on October 26, 2005, one day after her second birthday. An autopsy revealed severe brain injuries. Witness testimony presented during the trial detailed a history of abuse leading up to her death.

Boyle was convicted of capital murder of a child under the age of 14, as well as unlawful possession of a controlled substance. A jury unanimously recommended the death penalty, and the trial court imposed that sentence.

His conviction and sentence were previously upheld on direct appeal. State post-conviction proceedings concluded without relief in 2018, and the federal district court denied his habeas corpus petition in 2022.

The Eleventh Circuit reviewed the case on a single issue and ultimately affirmed the lower court’s decision, leaving Boyle’s conviction and death sentence in place.

Attorney General Marshall also recognized Deputy Attorney General Lauren Simpson for her work in defending the conviction during the federal appeals process.