JD Vance Vandal now in custody and has revealing background
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A vice president's home is not supposed to be the kind of place where windows get smashed at midnight. Yet that is the allegation now fuelling a fast-moving case in Cincinnati, after police say a hammer-wielding suspect targeted Vice President JD Vance's property while the family was out of state.

What has pushed the story beyond a straightforward arrest is the swirl of personal, political, and identity details now attached to the suspect. Investigators allege the accused comes from a wealthy local family, while online activity suggests he had recently been using the name 'Julia'.

A Midnight Attack

The suspect, William DeFoor, 26, was arrested early Monday after allegedly shattering four windows at Vance's home. Police said that DeFoor was attempting to break into the home around midnight. The Vances were not in Ohio at the time; they had moved into the vice president's official residence in Washington, DC, after the inauguration.

The 'Julia' Detail

It's unclear whether DeFoor identifies as transgender or nonbinary, but he recently appeared to be posting under the name Julia DeFoor. Police listed the suspect's name as William, and his gender as male. In his mugshot, DeFoor has an unkempt, matted mullet – and a dead-eyed stare.

The 'Julia' detail has become a point of intense online discussion, partly because it introduces uncertainty at the exact moment the public wants clarity.

Son of a Prominent Doctor and Democratic Donor

DeFoor's father, also named William, is a successful Harvard University graduate. He boasts a decades-long history as a pediatric urologist in Cincinnati and works as a professor at the University of Cincinnati's College of Medicine. The family lives in a £1.0 million ($1.3 million) house in the city's wealthy Hyde Park neighbourhood.

The elder DeFoor donated thousands to Kamala Harris' failed presidential campaign in 2024 after years of small contributions to a PAC that lobbied for urologists, according to federal records. He is also a longtime Democratic supporter, according to his public contributions. He donated upwards of $5,000 to former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris' respective campaigns in 2020 and 2024.

A History of Mental Health Struggles

The younger DeFoor appeared to have a fall from grace after graduating from the Summit Country Day School in 2018, where he was hailed as a candidate for the US Presidential Scholars Program. He had a brief two-year stint at the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music, but appeared to drop out in 2020, according to his Facebook.

The alleged vandal has a tricky mental health history, including a 2024 sentence for two counts of vandalism at a local interior design company. Instead of a standard conviction, DeFoor was sentenced to two years of mandatory mental health treatment, which is still ongoing, according to court documents obtained by Cincinnati.com.

In April 2023, DeFoor was charged with trespassing at UC Health psychiatric and emergency services. He was originally held on a £7,900 ($10,000) bond—but a judge determined he was not mentally competent to stand trial and the counts were dismissed in an 8 November filing that year.DeFoor is charged with obstructing official business, criminal damaging or endangering, criminal trespass, and vandalism, according to Hamilton County jail records.

His first court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday.

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