In a news release posted today, authorities state that William Stevenson, 77, the first husband of former First Lady Jill Biden, was charged with killing his current wife in their Delaware home in late December. He was booked on first-degree murder following his arrest on Monday, February 2, 2026, and remains in jail on a $500,000 bail.
The Delaware Attorney General’s spokesperson, Carolina Harrison, confirmed in a phone call that Stevenson is Jill Biden’s former husband and the two were married from 1970 to 1975. After she met Joe Biden in March 1975, she was granted a civil divorce from Stevenson in May that same year. Jill has declined to comment on the matter.
Domestic Dispute Murder
According to authorities, Stevenson murdered his wife, Linda Stevenson, 64, on December 28, 2025. Police were dispatched to their home around 11 p.m. that evening after a report of a domestic dispute was called in, and they found an unresponsive woman in the living room.
They began administering life-saving measures, but their attempts were unsuccessful. New Castle County Police did not release the details of her death, but reported her body was handed over to the Delaware Division of Forensic Science so they could conduct an autopsy.
After detectives in the Delaware Department of Justice conducted a weeks-long investigation, Stevenson was indicted by a grand jury on first-degree murder. It is unclear if he has obtained a lawyer.
History of Jill Biden and Ex-Husband
In the 1970s, Stevenson founded a popular music venue in Newark, New Jersey, called the Stone Balloon. He was quite negative after he and Jill Biden divorced. She tried to keep a 50-50 share in his music venue but was denied. Since then, he has criticized her to the media, specifically in an interview with conservative news outlet Newsmax as recently as 2024. He called her “bitter” and “nasty” while describing their divorce as controversial. Decades later, and he still holds a grudge.
Jill Biden married her now husband, Joe Biden, in 1977. They first met on a blind date set up through Joe’s brother, Frank, who was acquainted with Jill in college. When they first wed, he was a U.S. Senator and eventually made his way up to serve as the U.S. Vice President during Obama’s consecutive terms from 2009 to 2017. Then, winning the presidential election in 2020, he served in the White House again from 2021 to 2025.
The Late Linda Stevenson
Linda ran a bookkeeping business and was always cheering on the Philadelphia Eagles. She was also just as loving a mother and a grandmother, and valued making memories with her loved ones. “Linda will be remembered as tenacious, kind-hearted, and fiercely loyal. Her strength, resilience, and unwavering love for her family and friends will never be forgotten, and her absence will be felt deeply by all who knew her,” her obituary read.
Following her unexpected passing, “Linda was preceded in death by her beloved parents Charles and Bernice Barnes. She is survived by her daughter, Christina (Jeremy); her granddaughter, Ciara (Madison and Logan); her sister Cathy (Tom) Lancaster, nephew Jason and extended relatives.” If you wish to express your condolences, you can do so by sending a card or flowers on the obituary website.
