Jill Biden’s ex-husband charged with murder after wife found dead in Delaware

William Stevenson, 77, widely known as the ex-husband of former First Lady Jill Biden, has been arrested. New Castle County police believe that Stevenson murdered his late wife, Linda Stevenson, in the first degree on Dec. 28.

According to NBC, police were notified about a disturbance at the Stevenson residence in Wilmington, Delaware. When the police reached, they found Linda unresponsive. Currently, there are no details about Linda’s cause of death, as authorities continue building the case against William. Linda’s body is currently with the Delaware Division of Forensic Science for an autopsy — a process that can take time and will ultimately determine how authorities prosecute the case.

Linda’s obituary also did not provide any clues about her cause of death. Instead, the tribute focused on how family-oriented she was, noting that she is survived by her daughter Christina and her husband Jeremy, granddaughter Ciara, sister Cathy Lancaster, nephew Jason, and others. The obituary also mentioned that she picked up bookkeeping as both a business and a hobby later in her life. There was notably no mention of William.

William is currently being held at the Howard Young Correctional Institution after failing to post his $500,000 cash bail. His attorney is not yet publicly known, though a formal announcement is expected to be imminent. In the meantime, his tangential relationship to the Bidens has been soaking up much of the attention in the press.

Joe Biden’s family has long been a pet obsession for conservative commentators — especially surrounding Hunter Biden’s oftentimes controversial behavior. Jill Biden, however, has generally preferred to stay away from the limelight, unlike her predecessor Melania Trump. So much so that her previous marriage to William Stevenson is barely ever acknowledged in the media.

Jill married William in 1970 while she was still enrolled at Brandywine Junior College. The marriage lasted five years, and during that time Jill went by the surname Stevenson, though they later agreed they had differences that could not be reconciled. In the early 1970s, William was a college football player transitioning into a bar owner, while Jill was more focused on her modeling career. During that period, they drifted apart. In 1975, Jill sparked a romantic relationship with Joe Biden, who was already the U.S. senator from Delaware.

Jill Biden has since moved on with her life and focused more on her political role. Reportedly, the family remains on bad terms with the hierarchy of the Democratic Party and is carefully measuring everything they say to the press. It is highly unlikely they will acknowledge this tragedy publicly. William, however, has been more forthcoming about his time with Jill in the 1970s.

He wrote a book about his life in the early 1970s, when he opened his famous bar in Delaware called The Stone Balloon. The bar became so renowned that it was featured in Rolling Stone, which called it one of the best spots for rock ’n’ roll. Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews, and The Allman Brothers all frequented the bar.

William chose to keep specifics about his divorce out of the public eye. This time around, however, the public will likely learn far more about his relationship with Linda Stevenson.