Jill Biden's ex-husband William Stevenson charged with murder after death of wife

The ex-husband of former first lady Jill Biden has been charged with first-degree murder after the death of his wife.

William Stevenson, 77, was indicted on Monday by a grand jury in New Castle County, Delaware, in connection with the death of 64-year-old Linda Stevenson last year.

Mrs Biden married Stevenson in February 1970, when she was 18 years old and a student at the University of Delaware, and he was 23.

They were only married for five years. In March of 1975, she met then Democratic senator for Delaware Joe Biden, and a civil divorce between her and Stevenson was granted in May of that year.

New Castle County Police said Stevenson was taken into custody at the home in Oak Hill without incident on Monday afternoon.

He has since been arraigned and sent to the Howard Young Correction Institution in Wilmington, where he has been unable to pay a $500,000 (£365,207) cash bail.

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According to authorities, at around 11.16pm on 28 December, officers responded to a reported domestic dispute at a residence in Oak Hill, just west of Wilmington in New Castle County.

Upon entering the home, emergency services found Mrs Stevenson unresponsive in the living room. She was later pronounced dead at the scene.

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Delaware state police say Mrs Stevenson's body has been turned over to the Delaware Division of Forensic Science, where a post mortem examination will be conducted to determine the cause and manner of her death.

The office of Jill and ex-president Joe Biden declined to comment to Sky's US partner network NBC News.