Delaware State Police say the ex-husband of former first lady Jill Biden has been arrested on suspicion of murdering his wife in December.
The New Castle County Sheriff’s Office announced in a news release that 77-year-old William Stephenson was charged on February 2 with first-degree murder of 64-year-old Linda Stephenson.
Police have not said how Stevenson’s wife died, but the release said Stevenson was arrested after an “extensive, weeks-long investigation” into her death after officers responded to a domestic dispute at her Wilmington-area home on Dec. 28.
The woman was found unresponsive in a living room in the Ellesmere neighborhood at the scene, the statement said.
After a grand jury indicted Stevenson on the felony charge, police said they arrested him at his home without incident.
Stephenson remained in custody at the Howard R. Young Correctional Facility on Feb. 3 on $500,000 bail, according to online New Castle County Jail records.
It was not immediately known whether Stevenson had hired an attorney.
Who is William “Bill” Stevenson?
Bill Stevenson is the founder of Stone Balloon, a popular club in Newark, Delaware that has hosted musicians and bands such as Bruce Springsteen, Metallica, Dave Matthews Band, and My Morning Jacket.
Stevenson married the former first lady in 1970, but they divorced in 1975.
Jill Biden married her current husband, former President Joe Biden, in 1977.
USA TODAY has reached out to police for more information.
This is a developing story.
Contributor: Isabel Hughes, The Delaware News Journal
Natalie Neisa Alland is a senior reporter at USA TODAY. Contact her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her at X @nataliealund.
