The First Degree
by Alexis Linkletter, Jac Vanek
Latest episode
DEEP DIVE: DADDY ISSUES
DEEP DIVE: DADDY ISSUES
About this podcast
Do you ever wonder what it’s like to be friends with a murderer? Or escape a kidnapping? Or have a father who was a serial killer? Join Jac Vanek and Alexis Linkletter on a chilling ride into the darkest corners of your worst nightmares. Murders, cults, kidnappings, and conspiracies—all told through the eyes of a guest who is one degree of separation from the story itself. From infamous serial killers to the unbelievable unknown murder in your own backyard, The First Degree delivers a new perspective to the already fascinating true crime landscape. And who knows... you may be our next guest. (Plus, join them every Thursday for Killing Time, the light-hearted, true crime-adjacent aftershow!)
Episodes
The newest 50 of 736 episodes
- DEEP DIVE: DADDY ISSUES · 44 minCome one, come all to another crazy week of the Deep Dive. We are talking Sophia Franklin’s memoir Daddy Issues, Erika Kirk shilling hot sauce, Alfalfa from The Little Rascals…
- Episode 428: Margaret Haddican-McEnroe · 47 minIn October 2006, a mother of three disappears from her home in Warren Township, New Jersey, following an argument with her husband. Although her husband reports her missing two…
- DEEP DIVE: HUMAN BRAIN COMPUTERS · 46 minThings are starting to get creepy over here. This week we’re talking about computers made with ALIVE human brain cells that need to be fed to stay alive, a dude swallowing $800k…
- Episode 427: Darkness In Dawson Creek · 38 minBy 2024, there are 11 unsolved murders in Dawson Creek, British Columbia. All committed in the previous three years. Families of the murdered and missing are desperate for…
- DEEP DIVE: CAMP LOOKSMAXING · 45 minAnother weird week over here on the deep dive! We get a good look into Clavicular’s new Camp Looksmaxing where a bunch of losers pay $5k to have him tell them they’re ugly. Also…
- Episode 426: We Were Never Alone · 44 minSome encounters with the unexplained are terrifying. Others offer an unexpected sense of comfort. But all leave us wondering what, if anything, exists beyond death. In this…
- DEEP DIVE: SECRET PIZZA PARTY? · 46 minJac pulls the string of the Kelly Clarkson / $15K mechanical bird drama and (SHOCKER!) it leads to Epstein adjacent children’s books about secret pizza parties??? Plus, the girls…
- Episode 425: The Things That Haunt Us · 39 minThis week, Firstober continues with a collection of chilling listener stories, unexplained encounters, and a real-life Halloween nightmare. From eerie apparitions to a mysterious…
- DEEP DIVE: WHAT IS SUSAN DELL? · 46 minThe world is going crazy and we’re just trying to keep up. This week we are talking about a woman sneaking into high school to pretend to be a substitute teacher just to talk…
- Episode 424: The Dead Speak · 47 minIn this special Halloween episode, Lex and Jac share chilling paranormal encounters from Firsties who swear they’ve experienced something they can’t explain. Then, they unravel…
- DEEP DIVE: CALEB FLYNN · 51 minYou asked for it, you got it. This week we are going down the rabbit hole that is the atrocious man named Caleb Flynn. Alexis’ new obsession has been courtroom tv, and she has…
- Episode 423: Spooky Stories & Strange Crimes · 47 minToday, Jac and Lex are taking us on a spooky adventure into the places where true crime and the paranormal collide. From chilling listener encounters to a historic murder case…
- DEEP DIVE: DR. TOMASZ KOSOWSKI · 46 minThis week we are diving into one of the most bizarre cases of the year, Dr. Tomasz Kosowski. You may have seen clips circulating online of his insane courtroom behavior, or maybe…
- Episode 422: Rachel Hansen · 55 minIn June 2022, a 19-year-old woman calls 911 after someone enters her apartment and shoots her in the middle of the night. She survives long enough to tell the dispatcher she…
- DEEP DIVE: ANIMALS ARE FREAKS · 46 minIf you thought humans were weird as hell, buckle up because animals are FREAKS. We’re bringing you all of the creepy, strange, murderous facts about the animal kingdom. Prepare…
- Episode 421: Daniel Hiers Jr. · 34 minOn March 15, 2005, police respond to a 911 call from a home in Goose Creek, South Carolina. Inside the residence, the body of a 24-year-old woman is found in bed, dead from a…
- DEEP DIVE: THE AI TAKEOVER? REAL OR PSYOP? · 48 minThings are feeling a bit spooky this week and we are barely halfway through September. We are discussing all of the weird shit going on in the AI world (like if it gonna kill off…
- Episode 420: Elisa Roberson · 47 minIn August 1989, a 13-year-old girl leaves her home in Aransas Pass, Texas, for a short walk to meet a friend at a nearby elementary school. But she never makes it there, and…
- DEEP DIVE: CYBORG COCKROACHES · 45 minWe’re bouncing all over the place this week, so put on your seatbelts and get ready for the ride. A new lawsuit alleges that Frederic Fekkai was an integral part to Epstein’s…
- Episode 419: Dana Woods · 34 minIn August 2012, two young women spend a summer night together in Berkeley County, South Carolina, before accepting a ride from someone they know. Hours later, Dana Woods and June…
- DEEP DIVE: THE BUTT SNIFFER STRIKES AGAIN · 47 minIt’s another variety show type of week over here at the Deep Dive and we’ve got something for everyone. D4VD’s lawyers dump him, Laura Owens pleads guilty, a budding serial…
- Episode 418: Bigger Than the Trial · 1 h 12 minThe Lindsay Clancy case has brought renewed attention to postpartum psychosis, a rare but potentially devastating condition that, when left untreated, has been associated with an…
- DEEP DIVE: WHAT IS WRONG WITH EVERYONE? · 48 minNo, for real, what is wrong with everyone lately? This week we’re discussing a woman who was giving sex eyes to the camera during the Lindsay Clancy trial, Hilary Duff feeding…
- Episode 417: Stozek/McBrien · 40 minGrowing up in suburban Chicago, a young girl is raised to trust the adults around her. Her church, her school, and her family all feel like safe places. But years later, she…
- DEEP DIVE: UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTHS · 48 minToday we are discussing the tragedy of Hayden Panettiere’s sudden passing and everyone who failed her throughout her life, Anthropic and Amazon destroying rare and ancient texts…
- Episode 416: Trish Haynes · 45 minIn May 2018, a 25-year-old woman suddenly disappears while living with a childhood friend in Grafton, New Hampshire. Her family immediately knows something is wrong, but for…
- DEEP DIVE: TO CATCH A PREDATOR? · 45 minThere’s a lot going on this week, so put those tin foil hats on. First, we’re discussing the new bizarre documentary Predators, and the impact Chris Hansen has had on the true…
- Episode 415: Three People Knew · 41 minIn August 2017, a newlywed is found shot to death inside a hotel room in Athens, Georgia, while on a road trip with her husband. As investigators begin piecing together her final…
- Introducing: CRIMES OF REDDIT, Alexis’ new show with Sabrina Deana-Roga · 52 minReddit is an endless archive of humanity’s most disturbing, bizarre, and deeply human stories. If you love The First Degree, you are going to love CRIMES OF REDDIT with Alexis…
- DEEP DIVE: AUTHOR SESSIONS - CHAOS · 1 h 40 minToday's episode is the Deep Dive x The First Degree Book Club crossover you didn't know you needed. We're sitting down with bestselling author Tom O'Neill to talk about CHAOS…
- Episode 414: Manson murders, MKUltra, and the CIA · 1 h 5 minThis week on The First Degree, we're doing something a little different. Consider this episode your CHAOS crash course. Tom O'Neill's groundbreaking book CHAOS: Charles Manson…
- DEEP DIVE: THE MANOSPHERE BAKERY · 47 minThis week Jac is taking you on a very niche deep dive, so buckle up. We’re going all the way down the manosphere rabbit hole via a “hot” viral bakery owner from Phoenix and it’s…
- Episode 413: Christian Sayre · 38 minIn October 2021, the owner of a beloved dive bar in Everett, Washington is arrested on multiple counts of sexual assault, sending shockwaves through the tight-knit group of…
- DEEP DIVE: MKULTRA ALIVE & WELL? · 45 minTin foil hats on! Today’s episode, we go down the rabbit hole of Tulsi Gabbard’s brother being arrested for luring kids into his hotel room with candy, being raised in a cult…
- Episode 412: Hotel Zaza Tragedy · 37 minOn July 29, 2019, police respond to a 911 call from a hotel in Dallas, Texas. There are noise complaints about some guests, but hotel security is reluctant to intervene before…
- DEEP DIVE: TYLER ROBINSON HEARING · 45 minTyler Robinson’s hearing has officially started and it is a shit show already. We are discussing the highlights, the plot holes, and the fake news getting thrown around the…
- Episode 411: Jeremy "Scotty" Cockrell · 37 minIn June 2006, a 17-year-old spends the evening volunteering with a local haunted house before making plans to spend the next day at the lake with friends. But when those friends…
- DEEP DIVE: LEX'S LISK UPDATE · 42 minThis week, Alexis is giving you the inside scoop on all of the latest LISK updates, including what she saw at the sentencing hearing, never heard stories, and her involvement in…
- Episode 410: Terrence Woods Jr. · 54 minOn October 5, 2018, a 26-year-old man disappears while on a work assignment close to Orogrande, Idaho. The energetic, ambitious production assistant and aspiring film producer is…
- DEEP DIVE: MOUNT SHASTA MYSTERY · 45 minToday is a bit of a medley episode, because there’s just so much to talk about. We’re hitting the headlines: FBI confirms the Nancy Guthrie ransom letters are fake, Tom Sandoval…
- Episode 409: Paula & Brandon Wade · 50 minIn October 2002, a 25-year-old mother is preparing to leave Valdosta, Georgia, with her 3-year-old son and move back home to be closer to family. She has accepted a new job…
- DEEP DIVE: PETER THEIL’S SUPERVILLAIN LIST · 46 minWe’ve got two very important topics to talk to you about today. One, hackers revealed Peter Theil’s “list”, aka the people who meet up in black cloaks at 3am and chat about how…
- Episode 408: Deanna Merryfield · 58 minIn July 1990, a 13-year-old girl disappears in the early hours after sneaking out to see her twin sister in Killeen, Texas. When she is reported missing, police quickly classify…
- DEEP DIVE: MISSING & MURDERED SCIENTISTS, PART 2 · 54 minWe are concluding our 2 part series on the missing and murdered scientists today, and it gets more bizarre the farther you fall down the rabbit hole. Why these specific…
- Episode 407: Jeremiah Aviles · 53 minIn May 2023, an 18-year-old is preparing for graduation, planning for college, and looking forward to the future in Mesa, Arizona. But after spending the night with friends, he…
- DEEP DIVE: A NEW BOMBSHELL HAS ENTERED THE VILLA · 47 minGet ready for another wild week of headlines. Did you ever submit your DNA to 23 and Me or Ancestry.com? Well, the CIA might be digging through yours right now to see if it…
- Episode 406: Simrit Gill · 33 minOn the morning of February 1, 2008, a man calls his 20-year-old daughter in Charlotte, North Carolina after receiving a disturbing phone call urging him to check on her. But when…
- DEEP DIVE: MISSING AND MURDERED SCIENTISTS · 44 minYou asked for it….get ready for the ultimate deep dive digging into the over 13 missing and murdered scientists over the past few years. We are starting with the most infamous…
- Episode 405: Amber Arnett · 43 minOn June 23rd, 2023, a 39-year-old woman messages her mom asking if she can come to her home because she doesn’t feel safe where she is staying. Unfortunately, her mom is out of…
- DEEP DIVE: MACKENZIE SHIRILLA · 44 minToday we’re deep diving everything that the Netflix documentary The Crash missed about the Mackenzie Shirilla case. From scouting out LA modeling agencies while in the hospital…
