On February 3, 2026, authorities in Delaware announced that William Stevenson, 77, the ex-husband of former First Lady Jill Biden, had been arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the death of his current wife, Linda Stevenson.
Police took Stevenson into custody on Monday, February 2, following a grand jury indictment. He now faces one count of first-degree murder and is being held at the Howard Young Correctional Institution in Wilmington after failing to post $500,000 cash bail. It is unclear whether he has hired an attorney.
The case stems from an incident on December 28, 2025, when New Castle County police responded to a reported domestic dispute at the couple’s home in the Wilmington area, near Elsmere. Officers found 64-year-old Linda Stevenson unresponsive in the living room. Despite efforts by first responders to save her life, she was pronounced dead at the scene. Her body was sent for an autopsy by the Delaware Division of Forensic Science.
Police did not release a specific cause of death or details about how she died. After an extensive weeks-long investigation by detectives and the Delaware Department of Justice, a grand jury returned the indictment charging Stevenson with intentionally causing her death.
Linda Stevenson’s obituary described her as a deeply family-oriented woman who loved her role as a mother and grandmother. She was a dedicated Philadelphia Eagles fan and had founded her own small bookkeeping business in recent years. The obituary, which noted that she passed away unexpectedly on December 29, 2025, did not mention her husband. She was survived by her daughter, Christina; granddaughter, Ciara; sister, Cathy Lancaster; nephew, Jason; and other extended family members.
William Stevenson and Jill Biden (then Jill Tracy Jacobs) married in February 1970, when she was 18 and a student at the University of Delaware, and he was 23. Their marriage lasted five years. During that time, Stevenson opened The Stone Balloon, a popular college bar and music venue near the university in Newark, Delaware. It became well-known for hosting major acts like Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews Band, and The Allman Brothers Band over the decades.
The couple divorced in May 1975. Jill met then-Delaware Senator Joe Biden in March 1975, and they married in 1977. Joe Biden later served as vice president and president from 2021 to 2025. A representative for the Bidens did not immediately comment on the arrest.
This case has drawn attention due to Stevenson’s past connection to the former first lady, though the events involve his later marriage and life separate from that period. The investigation remains ongoing, and further details may emerge as the legal process continues.