William Stevenson, 77, the ex-husband of First Lady Jill Biden, was arrested Monday and charged with first-degree murder in the death of his current wife, 64-year-old Linda Stevenson, according to New Castle County Police.
Detectives from the Division’s Criminal Investigations Unit, in coordination with the Delaware Department of Justice, presented the case to a grand jury following an extensive weeks-long investigation. The grand jury returned an indictment charging Stevenson with one felony count of murder in the first degree. Police took Stevenson into custody at his residence in the 1300 block of Idlewood Road without incident. He was arraigned at Justice of the Peace Court 2 and remains in custody at the Howard Young Correctional Institution after failing to post $500,000 cash bail.
The investigation stems from an incident on December 28, 2025, when police responded to a domestic dispute at the Wilmington-area residence. Linda Stevenson was found unresponsive in the living room and, despite lifesaving measures by officers, was pronounced dead. Her body was subsequently turned over to the Delaware Division of Forensic Science for an autopsy.
Dr. Jill Biden’s ex-husband, William Stevenson, 77, has been charged with first-degree mu*der in the death of his wife, Linda, 64, in Delaware.pic.twitter.com/zyMSbnt6mk
— Brandon Straka #WalkAway (@BrandonStraka) February 3, 2026
In her obituary, Linda Stevenson was described as “deeply family-oriented” and a devoted Philadelphia Eagles fan. She also founded a small bookkeeping business in her later years. No further details regarding the cause of death have been released.
William Stevenson’s connection to the First Lady dates back decades. Jill Tracy Jacobs, then an 18-year-old University of Delaware student, married Stevenson in February 1970. Stevenson, 23 at the time, later opened The Stone Balloon Club, a popular college bar in Newark, Delaware, which hosted performances by notable artists including Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews, and The Allman Brothers Band. Jill and William Stevenson were married for five years before divorcing in May 1975. Shortly afterward, Jill met then-Delaware Senator Joe Biden in March 1975, and they later married in 1977.
This arrest marks a dramatic development in a decades-long story surrounding Jill Biden’s early personal life and comes amid a continuing investigation into the circumstances surrounding Linda Stevenson’s death.
