Delaware man married in the 1970s to former first lady Jill Biden set for plea in wife’s death
Feb 17, 2026, 4:18 AM | Updated: 8:52 am
The home of William Stevenson, the ex-husband of former first lady Jill Biden, is shown in Wilmington, Del., Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. Stevenson has been charged in the killing his current wife at the home. (AP Photo/Mingson Lau)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
(AP Photo/Mingson Lau)
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — The long-ago first husband of former first lady Jill Biden is set to appear in court Tuesday in Delaware on charges he killed his current wife.
William Stevenson, 77, is expected to enter a plea in the first-degree murder case. He was married to Jill Biden from 1970 to 1975.
A state grand jury this month charged Stevenson with killing Linda Stevenson, 64, who was found unresponsive at their home Dec. 28. He has remained in custody since the Feb. 3 charges, unable to post the $500,000 bail.
Court records made public so far do not list a defense lawyer for him.
William Stevenson founded the Stone Balloon, a popular music venue in Newark, Delaware, in the early 1970s.
Linda Stevenson ran a bookkeeping business and was described in her obituary as a family-oriented mother and grandmother and a Philadelphia Eagles fan. The obituary does not mention her husband.
“One hug from her and all your worries would disappear,” her daughter, Christine Mae, wrote in a Facebook post. “The pain of losing her is paralyzing and the emptiness in my heart is an abyss.”
Jill Biden married U.S. Sen. Joe Biden in 1977. He served as U.S. president from January 2021 to January 2025. Jill Biden’s spokesperson has said she has no comment on the Stevenson case.
