The ex-husband of former first lady Jill Biden was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the death of his second wife, Delaware authorities said Tuesday.
William Stevenson, 77, was taken into custody Monday and is facing criminal charges in the death of his wife, Linda Stevenson, according to the New Castle County Police.
Authorities did not provide details on the death, but the initial release noted that officers responded to a domestic dispute on Dec. 28 at a residence near Wilmington, Delaware.
Linda Stevenson, 64, had been found unresponsive in the living room and died despite lifesaving efforts by officers at the scene. The press release at the time said her body was turned over to the Delaware Division of Forensic Science for an autopsy.
A cause of death was not included in the statement on Mr. Stevenson’s arrest.
Mr. Stevenson was charged following “an extensive weeks-long investigation,” police said. A grand jury indicted him on Monday, and he was taken to the Howard Young Correctional Institution after failing to post $500,000 cash bail.
It is unclear if Mr. Stevenson has an attorney.
Linda Stevenson’s obituary described her as “deeply family-oriented” and a big Philadelphia Eagles fan. It also said she founded a small bookkeeping business in the final years of her life.
In February 1970, Mr. Stevenson married then-Jill Tracy Jacobs when she was an 18-year-old student at the University of Delaware and he was 23. They divorced in 1975 after a five-year marriage.
In 1977, two years after she divorced Mr. Stevenson, Jill wed Joseph R. Biden, who at that time was a first-term U.S. senator from Delaware. Mr. Stevenson and Jill had worked on Mr. Biden’s 1972 Senate campaign and had grown close to him.
Mr. Stevenson later accused his first wife of having an affair with the future one-term president during their brief marriage. Both Mr. and Mrs. Biden have denied the claim.
Also in 1972, Mr. Biden’s first wife, Neilia, and their infant daughter were killed in a car crash that injured their two sons, Beau Biden and Hunter Biden.
The Bidens did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Washington Times about Mr. Stevenson’s arrest.
Mr. Stevenson is also known for owning The Stone Balloon, which was a popular bar near the University of Delaware campus. The bar became famous for hosting several popular artists such as Bruce Springsteen and Dave Matthews before they were big names. It closed in 2024.
