Son of Wealthy Democratic Donor Arrested After Hammer Attack on VP Vance's Home

A 26-year-old man accused of smashing windows at the Ohio home of Vice President JD Vance early Monday is the son of a wealthy Cincinnati physician and longtime Democratic donor, according to court records and public filings.

Police arrested William DeFoor after he allegedly used a hammer to shatter four windows at Vance’s Cincinnati residence around midnight and attempted to force his way inside. The Vance family was not home at the time, having moved to the vice president’s official residence in Washington following the inauguration. DeFoor has since been charged with obstructing official business, criminal damaging or endangering, criminal trespass, and vandalism. His initial court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday.

Authorities listed the suspect as William DeFoor, male, though in recent weeks he appeared to be using the name “Julia” on social media. Police have not indicated whether the name change reflects a gender transition or a temporary alias, and court documents continue to refer to him as William.

DeFoor’s father, also named William, is a prominent pediatric urologist and medical school professor in Cincinnati, a Harvard graduate with decades in practice. Public records show the elder DeFoor has donated thousands of dollars to Democratic candidates and causes over the years, including contributions to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, and has publicly supported gun control measures following the Uvalde school shooting. The family resides in a home valued at roughly $1.3 million in Cincinnati’s Hyde Park neighborhood.

The younger DeFoor’s background includes academic promise followed by legal and mental health troubles. After graduating from a private Catholic high school in 2018, he briefly attended the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music before leaving in 2020. More recently, he indicated he was enrolled at a local community college.

Court records show DeFoor has a history of run-ins with law enforcement tied to mental health issues. In 2024, he was sentenced to two years of mandatory mental health treatment after convictions for vandalism at a local business. In an earlier 2023 case, he was charged with trespassing at a hospital psychiatric unit, but the charges were dismissed after a judge ruled he was not competent to stand trial.

Investigators have not disclosed a motive for the alleged attack on the vice president’s home. The case is being handled jointly by local authorities and federal officials, given the involvement of a protected residence tied to a sitting vice president.