William Stevenson, the former husband of first lady Jill Biden, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a charge of first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Linda Stevenson.
Stevenson, 77, was charged earlier this month following the Dec. 28 death of Linda Stevenson, 64, at their Delaware home. According to police, officers responded to a report of a domestic dispute that evening and found Linda Stevenson unresponsive at the residence. Authorities arrested Stevenson without incident on Feb. 3. He remains in custody after failing to post bail. His next court appearance is scheduled for March 16.
The case has drawn national attention because of Stevenson’s decades-old marriage to Jill Biden, who was married to him from 1970 to 1975. She married then-Sen. Joe Biden two years after their divorce.
Stevenson is also known in Delaware business circles as the founder of the Stone Balloon, a Newark music venue he opened in 1971. Over the years, the club hosted major acts including Bruce Springsteen and the Dave Matthews Band, becoming a recognizable fixture in the state’s cultural scene.
An obituary for Linda Stevenson described her as “deeply family-oriented,” a proud owner of a bookkeeping business, and an avid Philadelphia Eagles fan. It did not mention her husband and said she “passed away unexpectedly.”
Her daughter, Christine Mae, pushed back against media coverage that has focused heavily on Stevenson’s past marriage to the first lady rather than her mother’s life.
“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 loved unconditionally and wholly,” she wrote. “The pain of losing her is paralyzing, and the emptiness in my heart is an abyss.”
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