The vandal who allegedly broke several windows at JD Vance‘s Cincinnati home comes from a prominent millionaire family, according to the New York Post. On Monday, William DeFoor, 26, was arrested on suspicion of vandalizing Vance’s home.
According to authorities, he allegedly broke windows in an attempt to break into the residence around midnight. The Vance family was not inside the Ohio house at that time, as they had moved to the vice presidential residence in Washington, DC, since the inauguration.
William has since been charged with obstructing official business, criminal trespass, vandalism, criminal damage, and endangering. His first court date is set for January 6.
🚨🇺🇸 BREAKING: JD VANCE HOME ATTACKER IDENTIFIED AS TRANS DAUGHTER OF DEMOCRAT DONOR SURGEON
The suspect accused of smashing windows at Vice President JD Vance’s Ohio home has been identified as Julia DeFoor, a transgender woman formerly known as William DeFoor, and the daughter… https://t.co/HNMPAYRGup pic.twitter.com/ZyyDD7eCjg
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) January 5, 2026
As previously mentioned, William has been going by the name “Julia DeFoor” for the last few weeks, although it remains unclear whether he identifies as a transgender or a nonbinary person. Police have since listed DeFoor as a male.
As it turns out, his father, who is also named William, works as a professor at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Medicine. He is a Harvard graduate and boasts years of experience as a pediatric urologist in Cincinnati. With his success, his family lives a very comfortable lifestyle, owning a $1.3 million house in Hyde Park, which is the city’s wealthiest neighborhood. DeFoor’s story received international attention after the Post reported that his father donated thousands to Kamala Harris‘ presidential campaign.
According to federal records, the elder DeFoor has been a Democrat donor for years, and has continued to make small contributions to a political action committee with wealthy urologists like him. The NY Post further affirms that he has been a longtime Democratic loyalist, who donated over $5,000 to former President Joe Biden‘s campaign in 2020, as well as Harris’ 2024 bid.
William DeFoor has also been vocal about the ban on federal assault weapons following the Uvalde Elementary School shooting, according to posts on his Facebook account. However, the junior DeFoor later faced legal and personal difficulties.
BREAKING: JD Vance home attacker William DeFoor confirmed to be transgender and goes by the name “Julia”
Both parents are registered as Democrats, donating over $11,000 to Kamala Harris in 2024.
They also donated to Joe Biden.
There it is. pic.twitter.com/DSZjzgJvsy
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) January 5, 2026
During his days at the Summit Country Day School, he was following in his father’s footsteps, as he was hailed as a U.S. Presidential Scholars Program candidate there. However, that has changed since his graduation in 2018. He enrolled at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. However, in 2020, he dropped out.
William DeFoor also struggles with his mental health, according to court documents obtained by Cincinnati.com. He also faced two counts of vandalism charges in 2024 for allegedly attempting to break into a local interior design company. At that time, he was sentenced to two years of mandatory mental health treatment, instead of a standard conviction.
This will not be his only prior legal case, as in April 2023, he was charged with trespassing at the UC Health psychiatric and emergency services. Initially, he was held on $10,000 bond. However, later, the court determined him unfit for trial, and the case was dismissed.
