The ex-husband of former first lady Jill Biden pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a first-degree murder charge in connection with the death of his wife at their Delaware home, The Hill reported.
William Stevenson, 77, entered the plea after being charged earlier this month in the death of Linda Stevenson, 64.
Police said officers responded to a reported domestic dispute at a residence in Delaware on the night of Dec. 28, where Linda Stevenson was found unresponsive. She was later pronounced dead.
William Stevenson was arrested without incident on Feb. 3, authorities said, and has remained in custody after failing to post bail. His next court hearing is scheduled for March 16.
Jill Biden was married to William Stevenson from 1970 to 1975. The two divorced before she married then-Sen. Joe Biden in 1977.
William Stevenson is the founder of The Stone Balloon, a Newark, Delaware, music venue established in 1971 that has hosted major artists over the decades, according to the venue's website.
An obituary for Linda Stevenson did not reference her husband, stating instead that she "passed away unexpectedly." The obituary described her as deeply family-oriented, a devoted Philadelphia Eagles fan, and the owner of a bookkeeping business.
Linda Stevenson's daughter, Christine Mae, urged the public to focus on her mother's life rather than her connection to public figures.
"She deserves her own story and not the story of 'Jill Biden's ex-husband's other wife,'" Mae wrote in a Facebook post.
"We did everything together. She was my best friend, my confidant, my travel buddy, my sounding board, my safe place."
She added that "the pain of losing her is paralyzing and the emptiness in my heart is an abyss."
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.