Former First Lady Jill Biden’s ex-husband has been charged with the murder of his late wife. William Stevenson, 77, is facing first-degree murder charges in the death of 64-year-old Linda Stevenson. Linda was found unresponsive at their home Delaware home in December, and on Monday William was taken into custody at the same address. Police were responding late at night on December 28, 2025 to a ‘reported domestic dispute’ at the Stevensons’ residence in Wilmington, according to a New Castle County Police Department press release. Linda was pronounced dead on December 29, her obituary says she unexpectedly died and made no mention of her husband.
Jill and William Wed in 1970 and Divorced in 1975
Investigators were seen on scene at the couple’s property on December 31 to investigate the suspicious death. Before marrying Linda (left), William (Bill) (right) was married to Jill Biden. The two wed in 1970, while she was still in college, and divorced in 1975. Two years later in 1977, Jill married former President Joe Biden. Jill’s biographer detailed how the former first lady was disillusioned by the relationship and had to ‘compartmentalize’ her first marriage in order to move on. ‘She had these expectations of sort of what that marriage was going to be, and the marriage did not live up to those expectations,’ Julie Pace told People Magazine in 2022.
‘She was incredibly young and probably a bit naive about what life was going to look like, and it stings her. It really stings her, and it makes her question quite a bit,’ she added. Bill and Linda Stevenson had one daughter together, Christina Vettori, who has a daughter of her own named Ciara. Both are mentioned as survivors of Linda, though her husband is not. A cause and manner of death has still not been released and her obituary only notes she ‘passed away unexpectedly.’ A domestic dispute was reported at the couple’s home on Idlewood Road to New Castle County Police around 11:16 pm on December 29, 2025.
Police found Linda unresponsive on the living room floor when they entered the home, and , despite life-saving measures, was declared dead at the scene in the early morning hours of December 30. Investigators were seen at the house in the Oak Hill development of Wilmington, Delaware on December 31, 2025 regarding the suspicious circumstances surrounding the domestic dispute call and the ensuing death of Linda. Bill was taken into custody on February 2, charged with first-degree murder of his wife and, after failing to meet the $500,000 cash bail, was committed to the Howard Young Correctional Institution.
Bill Alleged Jill Cheated on Him With Joe Biden in 1974
Speaking with the Daily Mail during Joe Biden’s run for president in 2020, Bill alleged that Jill cheated on him with the future president in August 1974 – the same year they separated. Bill detailed how the two were working on then-New Castle County Councilman Joe Biden’s campaign together when he started to suspect the affair. ‘One of her best friends told me she thought Joe and Jill were getting a little too close. I was surprised that she came to me,’ he told the Daily Mail.
Bill said his suspicions were confirmed after a man told him Joe had been driving his wife’s car when they were involved in an accident together. ‘I asked Jill to leave the house, which she did,’ he said. ‘Her father was begging me to take her back when he found out what was going on. He asked me to give her a second chance, but I wasn’t interested.’
