Vision Times
Subscribe
Newsletter
Truth, Inspiration, Hope.

William Stevenson, Jill Biden’s First Husband, Charged with Wife’s Murder

Vision Times Staff
By Vision Times Staff
Published: February 4, 2026
On Nov. 7, 2022, on the eve of the U.S. midterm elections, then-President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden attended a Democratic rally in Maryland. (Image: MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

By Gao Yun

U.S. officials said Tuesday, Feb. 3 that William Stevenson, the ex-husband of former First Lady Jill Biden, has been arrested and charged with murder in connection with the death of his current wife.

According to a statement from the New Castle County Police in Delaware on Tuesday, 77-year-old Stevenson was taken into custody on Monday and faces first-degree murder charges in connection with the death of his wife, Linda Stevenson. The charge comes from a formal indictment issued by a Delaware grand jury.

Police have not released details of the case but noted that the charge followed a “weeks-long, extensive investigation.” Stevenson is currently being held at the Howard Young Correctional Institution after failing to post $500,000 cash bail. It is not yet clear whether he has retained an attorney.

The U.S. Army has told struggling soldiers to sign up for food stamps if inflation is proving too hot to handle.
Jill Biden gives bottles of ketchup to Major Shawn Bradberry, U.S. Army Deputy Host Nation Advisor for Romania, during her visit to the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Constanta, Romania, on May 6, 2022. (Image: SUSAN WALSH/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Death occurred last December

On Dec. 28 of last year, police responded to a domestic dispute call at a residence in Wilmington, Delaware.

According to an initial report released at the time by police, 64-year-old Linda Stevenson was found unconscious in the living room. Despite immediate attempts at emergency aid by officers on the scene, she was pronounced dead. Her body was subsequently transferred to the Delaware Department of Forensic Science for an autopsy, but the official cause of death has not yet been released.

Linda Stevenson’s obituary described her as a woman who “valued family above all.” She enjoyed vacationing with her daughter and granddaughter and was a devoted fan of the Philadelphia Eagles.

“People will remember Linda for her resilience, kindness, and unwavering loyalty,” the obituary stated. “Her strength, perseverance, and steadfast love for family and friends will never be forgotten, and all who knew her feel the depth of her loss.”

In her final years, she also founded a small bookkeeping business and developed friendships with many of her clients.

Saying, The Bidens are a National Guard family, first lady Jill Biden greets members of the National Guard with chocolate chip cookies outside the Capitol on Jan. 22, 2021, in Washington, DC.  (Image: Jacquelyn Martin / POOL / AFP) (Photo by JACQUELYN MARTIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

The suspect’s past marriage to Jill Biden

William Stevenson was Jill Biden’s first husband. In February 1970, 18-year-old Jill Tracy Jacobs, a student at the University of Delaware, married 23-year-old Stevenson.

Shortly after their marriage, Stevenson opened The Stone Balloon Club in Newark, which later became one of the most popular college bars in the U.S. Famous musicians such as Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews, and The Allman Brothers Band performed there.

Their marriage lasted five years. In March 1975, Jill met Joe Biden, then a U.S. Senator from Delaware. In May of the same year, her divorce from Stevenson was finalized. Jill reportedly attempted to retain half ownership of The Stone Balloon Club, but the request was denied.