Jill Biden's Ex-Husband Has Been Charged With the First-Degree Murder of His Wife

Before Dr. Jill Biden wed former President Joe Biden in 1977, she was briefly married to William Stevenson. In her memoir, Where the Light Enters: Building a Family, Discovering Myself, Biden touched on that time in her life. She met Stevenson in 1969 while they were both students at the University of Delaware. "I truly believed we were destined for each other," she said, "Looking back, it may seem like a mistake of youth."

They got married in 1970, when Jill was only 18 years old. "He was charismatic and entrepreneurial and eventually started his own business," she wrote of Stevenson. "For a moment, we were happy. I had found my Prince Charming, and I was sure it would last forever." It did not, as the couple divorced in 1975. More than five decades later, her ex-husband has been charged with first-degree murder. Here's what we know.

According to ABC News, Stevenson was charged Feb. 2, 2026, with the murder of his wife, who was killed Dec. 29, 2025. The 77-year-old will remain in jail after he failed to post the $500,000 bail. Police were called to the Wilmington home of Stevenson and his wife, Linda Stevenson, 64, at approximately 11:00 p.m. following reports of a domestic dispute.

Law enforcement found Linda unresponsive on the floor of the couple's living room. Attempts to save her life were unsuccessful. The Delaware Department of Justice spent weeks investigating Linda's death, only to charge Stevenson with his wife's murder. In her obituary, Linda is described as a deeply family-oriented person who "treasured time spent making memories, especially on family vacations with her daughter and granddaughter." She will be remembered as kind-hearted and fiercely loyal.

In 1971, Stevenson inherited $14,000 from an uncle, which he used to buy a tavern in Newark, Del. He called it The Stone Balloon, and it welcomed acts like Bruce Springsteen, Metallica, Dave Matthews, and My Morning Jacket, before Stevenson sold it in 2005, per the Delaware News Journal.

Will Webber, a friend of Stevenson's, told The New York Times he was an interesting guy. "I never watched him mistreat anyone." Back in July 2023, Stevenson was interviewed by Newsmax, where he claimed Joe Biden weaponized the United States government against him. Stevenson told a meandering story in which he alleged Joe Biden's brother Frank threatened him if he didn't give Jill one of the houses he owned. He believed the Bidens somehow got Stevenson in trouble with the IRS in 1982.

Two months after this supposed conversation happened between Stevenson and Frank, the former, along with his own brother, was indicted for a "tax charge" of $8,200. Stevenson claimed Joe Biden caused this to happen. "I not only think it," said Stevenson, "I know it." His brother pleaded guilty and, per Stevenson, took the fall.