William Stevenson, 77 and a former husband of first lady Jill Biden, was arrested after a grand jury indicted him on a charge of first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Linda Stevenson, 64. The indictment followed the Dec. 28 death in Wilmington, Delaware, and authorities said he was taken into custody on Monday and is being held at the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution after failing to post $500,000 cash bail. Police officials in New Castle County have not released details on how Mrs. Stevenson died, and court proceedings are expected to follow the indictment. The case has drawn attention in part because of Mr. Stevenson’s past marriage to Dr. Biden in the early 1970s.
Key Takeaways
- William Stevenson, 77, was indicted by a grand jury and arrested on Monday following the Dec. 28 death of his wife, Linda Stevenson, 64.
- He is charged with first-degree murder and is in custody at Howard R. Young Correctional Institution after failing to post $500,000 cash bail.
- Stevenson and Jill Biden were married from 1970 until their divorce was finalized in 1975; their relationship predates Dr. Biden’s later marriage to Joe Biden.
- Local police have declined to provide specifics about the cause or manner of Mrs. Stevenson’s death as of Feb. 3, 2026.
- News crews and law enforcement were present outside Stevenson’s Oak Hill neighborhood home in Wilmington following the arrest, signaling local media interest.
- Records and past reporting note Mr. Stevenson once owned a Wilmington-area bar called The Stone Balloon, which closed in 2005, and that he had business disputes with the City of Newark in earlier decades.
Background
William Stevenson first entered public notice largely because of his brief marriage to Jill Biden, whom he met in 1969 when she was an 18-year-old student at the University of Delaware. The couple married within months in 1970 and divorced in 1975, a period covered in Dr. Biden’s memoirs; she later became the wife of Joe Biden, a longtime U.S. senator and later president. Stevenson’s post‑marriage life remained rooted in Delaware; public records and local reporting show he ran a bar, The Stone Balloon, beginning in 1971 using an inheritance and that the establishment eventually closed in 2005.
Over the decades Mr. Stevenson was portrayed in local press as a small‑business owner who had periodic disputes with municipal authorities over permits and taxes. Neighbors and acquaintances have offered mixed recollections in interviews, describing him as a familiar local figure without alleging prior violent behavior. The current criminal allegation is therefore a sharp departure from the sort of legal and civic disputes that had previously appeared in the record. Given the involvement of a grand jury and a first‑degree murder indictment, the case has shifted from local curiosity to a formal criminal prosecution with potential statewide attention.
Main Event
New Castle County police said a grand jury returned an indictment charging Stevenson with first‑degree murder; law enforcement arrested him the following day and lodged him at the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution in Delaware. Authorities set cash bail at $500,000; the police report released with the arrest did not describe the evidence that led to the indictment, and investigators have not publicly described the cause of Linda Stevenson’s death. Court records and the indictment itself will provide further detail as the case moves through arraignment and pretrial phases.
Local scenes after the arrest included news vans and an unmarked police vehicle outside Stevenson’s split‑level Oak Hill house in Wilmington, where a wreath remained on the front door. Officials declined to comment on whether Stevenson had retained legal counsel before or after his arrest, and a spokeswoman said the department would release more information as permitted by the ongoing investigation. Prosecutors typically review grand jury findings and file formal charges when they believe probable cause supports a serious offense; a first‑degree murder charge indicates prosecutors assert premeditation under Delaware law.
The indictment revives public interest in Stevenson’s earlier life, including his ownership of The Stone Balloon and his place in local social history. People who knew him decades ago described him variously as an entrepreneur and a contentious permit‑seeker, but none of the accounts provided to local reporters offered evidence of violence. As the criminal process unfolds, officials will disclose more courtroom filings, and journalists will seek records such as the indictment text, arrest report, and any forensic findings that informed the grand jury.
Analysis & Implications
Legally, a first‑degree murder indictment in Delaware carries severe potential penalties and signals prosecutors believe they can show elements including intent or premeditation. The grand jury decision to indict means a body of jurors found probable cause, but it is not a conviction; the standard for conviction at trial is proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Defense counsel, if retained, may challenge the sufficiency of the state’s evidence, contest procedural matters, or seek bail reduction at an upcoming hearing. The bail amount set at $500,000 cash indicates the court or prosecutors viewed flight risk or public safety concerns as significant.
Politically and socially, the case intersects with public interest because of Mr. Stevenson’s prior marriage to a current first lady, which guarantees wider media coverage than a similar local case might otherwise attract. That attention raises questions about privacy for surviving family members and the potential for misinformation; officials and journalists must balance transparency with respect for an active criminal investigation. Still, legal experts caution against conflating historical associations with guilt in the present matter: past relationships do not determine the merits of contemporary charges.
For the Wilmington community, the arrest may reopen memories of Stevenson’s local business activities and civic disputes, but neighbors’ statements to reporters suggest little prior sign of violent behavior. Law enforcement will likely release additional material through filings and press notices, and the prosecution’s case will hinge on forensic findings, witness testimony, and the contents of the indictment. Observers should expect pretrial motions and an arraignment in the county court calendar, after which discovery will clarify the state’s evidence and the defense strategy.
Comparison & Data
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Indictment date (reported) | Feb. 3, 2026 (article date); arrest reported the prior Monday |
| Victim | Linda Stevenson, 64 (died Dec. 28) |
| Accused | William Stevenson, 77; charged with first‑degree murder; $500,000 cash bail |
The table summarizes the principal factual points disclosed so far: timeline (late December death, February indictment), ages of the people involved, and the bail determination. These data are limited to what prosecutors and police have made public; additional items such as cause of death, forensic results, and witness lists remain to be released through formal filings or press statements. Comparing this case to typical Delaware homicide filings, the use of a grand jury to indict is standard for serious felonies and does not in itself indicate the strength of the evidence beyond probable cause.
Reactions & Quotes
Neighbours and acquaintances offered restrained responses after the arrest, many emphasizing surprise and a lack of prior violent reports. Local friend and longtime acquaintance Will Webber described Stevenson’s public persona and said the arrest was unexpected.
“I always thought he was an interesting guy. I never watched him mistreat anyone.”
Will Webber, acquaintance
Webber’s remarks reflect the common neighborly reaction: recognition of Stevenson’s local presence but no recollection of threats or domestic violence. Reporters who canvassed the Oak Hill neighborhood found residents who knew him from social and business circles but few who could speak to recent private life details.
Historical remarks about Stevenson’s early marriage to Jill Biden have resurfaced in coverage; Dr. Biden wrote in her memoir that she had believed the match was destined but later viewed it as youthful error. That passage has been cited to explain why the couple separated and to underline that the marriage ended more than four decades ago.
“I truly believed we were destined for each other… Looking back it may seem like a mistake of youth.”
Jill Biden, memoir (excerpt)
Observers note that quoting a decades‑old memoir provides context about past relationships but does not bear on the present criminal allegations. Officials have urged the public to rely on court records and police releases for verified information as the case proceeds.
Unconfirmed
- Police have not released the cause or manner of Linda Stevenson’s death; media reports do not yet cite forensic findings.
- It is unclear whether Mr. Stevenson had legal representation at the time of arrest or whether counsel has since been retained.
- The specific evidence presented to the grand jury has not been disclosed publicly, so the basis for the indictment beyond probable cause is not independently verifiable.
Bottom Line
The grand jury indictment and subsequent arrest of William Stevenson convert a local death into a formal homicide prosecution with statewide attention, partly because of his prior marriage to Jill Biden. At this stage, the indictment reflects probable cause but not a criminal conviction; the presumption of innocence remains in place while prosecutors prepare for arraignment and potential trial proceedings.
Key next developments will include the court docket (arraignment date and pretrial schedule), any release of forensic or investigative material by prosecutors, and motions from defense counsel if retained. Readers should expect incremental disclosures through official court filings and statements from New Castle County authorities rather than immediate comprehensive summaries.