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PODCAST

The First Degree

Alexis Linkletter, Jac Vanek

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

true crime

All Episodes

00:43:02

Episode 359: Megan Trussell

The First Degree ·

2025/07/09

In February 2025, a college freshman is reported missing from her dorm at CU Boulder. Days later, her body is discovered in a canyon miles from campus, an area her family says she never would have gone alone. She is bruised and battered, missing one shoe, and both her phone and purse are gone. When those belongings later turn up in the possession of strangers, Megan’s family braces for answers. But what they get instead is a ruling of suicide, leaving them reeling and desperate for answers. In

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00:41:30

DEEP DIVE: RULES FOR THEE, NOT FOR ME

The First Degree ·

2025/07/03

It’s been a terrible, horrible, no good very bad week, and we’re here to talk through all of the BS: Diddy being found not guilty of his most serious crimes (literally…HOW???), Bryan Kohberger pleads guilty to escape the death penalty, and we absolutely shit on the tacky and hypocritical mess that was Jeff Bezos & Lauren Sanchez’s wedding (and what’s realllyyy happening behind the scenes).🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on

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00:39:32

Episode 358: Anatomy of Betrayal

The First Degree ·

2025/07/02

When a woman made the life-changing decision to anonymously donate her kidney, she did it out of pure compassion for a total stranger. But what happens when that stranger doesn’t stay anonymous? When the recipient of your organ begins threatening your safety, and turning your act of selflessness into a nightmare? In episode 358, Jac and Lex delve into the harrowing story of one woman’s gift, and how it came back to haunt her. In a legal system unprepared for a case like this, she found herself

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00:47:24

DEEP DIVE: THE YELLOW DELI

The First Degree ·

2025/06/26

You’ve been asking us to deep dive The Yellow Deli (and the Twelve Tribes cult) for months now, and the day has finally come. We’re diving into their “communal living” and “child discipline”, bizarre Sabbath gatherings, and disgusting beliefs. Don’t be fooled by the friendly workers and delicious sandwiches…the Yellow Deli is a CULT. Also, we touch on Shiloh Hill and the dark web blood cowboy boots and the latest headlines of the week.🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video

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00:51:50

Episode 357: Terence Freitas

The First Degree ·

2025/06/25

On February 25, 1999, a 24-year-old environmental and Indigenous rights activist and two Native American advocates disappear from Arauca, Colombia, after meeting with local U’Wa people. The U’Wa’s lives and lands are under direct threat from multinational oil extraction, and the activists are there to help facilitate protection of the tribes’ indigenous sovereignty and environment. A week later, their bodies are found near a river, shot to death. And so the long and complicated battle begins for

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00:46:09

DEEP DIVE: EVERYONE IS CRASHING OUT

The First Degree ·

2025/06/19

Everyone seems to be crashing out this week, and we are here to cover it all for you! R Kelly’s “alleged” murder attempt in jail, Kanye showing up at Diddy’s trial, Trace Cyrus’ wilddddd accusations against Brenda Song, Justin Bieber posting his personal conversations on IG, and of course the latest insanity with Blake vs Justin.🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on Patreon:patreon.com/thefirstdegree📸 Instagram: instagram.com/thefirstdegree🕺 TikTok:

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01:05:04

Episode 356: Christy Giles Cilliers & Hilda...

The First Degree ·

2025/06/18

On November 13th of 2021, two young women, aged 26 and 24, head out for a night on the town that finishes up near Beverly Hills, California. They dance the night away at a warehouse party into the wee hours. But come daybreak, the friends - one a successful model, the other an aspiring architect - haven’t made it home. By the end of the day, the women are located separately but in highly disturbing circumstances, each abandoned outside LA hospitals by unknown individuals, suffering the effects of a

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00:42:59

DEEP DIVE: DEEP SEA DRAMA

The First Degree ·

2025/06/12

There’s a lotttt that happened last week and we’re covering it all: JP Miller (the creepy abusive pastor) married his mistress just a year after his wife mysteriously took her own life, Justin Baldoni’s lawsuit was dismissed (but is it really what it seems??? We’re breaking it down for you), new info leaning towards Ocean Gate being a suicide mission, and of course the latest Diddy updates. 🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on

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00:52:40

Episode 355: Vanishing Act

The First Degree ·

2025/06/11

Over a span of 39 years, at least 14 aliases, 17 arrests, and nearly a dozen imprisonments, Robert Spears had lived a con artists' life of unparalleled adventure and intrigue. His crimes culminated in an ultimate act of evil, when he downed a crowded aircraft to fake his own death. This is a tale of one man who became obsessed with this story and the dichotomy of the man at the center of it. Get Jerry Jamison’s new true crime book Vanishing Act: A Crashed Airliner, Faked Death, and Backroom

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00:45:16

DEEP DIVE: DIDDY, BLAKE, & CELINE DION?

The First Degree ·

2025/06/05

It’s part two of our Diddy trial coverage, and this week we FINALLY learn wow and why the infamous tape from The Intercontinental hotel was covered up for so long (hint: $100k). We go through the rest of the highlights from this week in trial, plus Blake drops her emotional distress claims against Justin Baldoni, and Celine Dion has a satanic children’s clothing line???🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on Patreon:patreon.com/thefirstdegree📸 Instagram:

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00:43:35

Episode 354: Destiny McClain

The First Degree ·

2025/06/04

In the early morning hours of July 18, 2021, a 23-year-old woman is standing in line at a food truck outside a Phoenix nightclub when gunfire erupts. She is struck in the chest and later dies at the hospital, leaving her family devastated. As police investigate, they uncover very little evidence—aside from a grainy video of a dark-colored car speeding away. To this day, her case remains unsolved. In episode 354, Jac and Alexis revisit the night Destiny McClain’s life was stolen, and the powerful

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00:44:56

DEEP DIVE: DIDDY TRIAL

The First Degree ·

2025/05/29

We’re back and (almost) live, giving you the latest updates of the Diddy trial. This week, Lex is bringing Jac up to speed on everything that has gone down the past few weeks at trial, including details about Kid Cudi’s car bombing, Cassie’s bombshell testimony, and the insane stories that Diddy’s numerous personal assistants had to share. We will be back next week for more!🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on Patreon:patreon.com/thefirstdegree📸

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00:40:39

Episode 353: Melissa Lamesch

The First Degree ·

2025/05/28

A 911 call brought firefighters to the home of Melissa Lamesch in November 2020. Melissa was only days away from being induced and delivering her first child, a son. Instead, first responders would find her unconscious on the kitchen floor. What seemed at first to be an accidental fire soon turned into a murder investigation. And the suspect? Melissa’s on-again, off again firefighter boyfriend and the father of her baby. In episode 353, Jac and Alexis dive into the case that left a small town in

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00:52:30

DEEP DIVE: SHEN YUN

The First Degree ·

2025/05/22

IT’S TIME! This week, the girls are finally deep diving into Shen Yun. And this time, it’s personal. Jac and Lex went to a Shen Yun show themselves to see what all of the fuss was about. They’re diving into the bizarre history of Shen Yun itself, what going to a Shen Yun show is REALLY like, and figuring out once and for all if Shen Yun is actually a cult (spoiler alert: it is). 🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on Patreon:patreon.com/thefirstdegree📸

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00:41:04

Episode 352: Lynn Schockner

The First Degree ·

2025/05/21

Around 11am on the morning of November 8th, 2004, a resident of the Bixby Knolls neighborhood in Long Beach saw what looked to be a prowler hoping the fence into the backyard of Lynn Schockner. Concerned, the neighbor immediately called the police. Within minutes, police were at Lynn’s front door, asking her to open her side gate. In the span of minutes, with police outside her house, Lynn was stabbed to death by an intruder. What initially seemed like a burglary gone wrong soon unfurled into a

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00:42:36

DEEP DIVE: HOLLY MADISON RETURNS

The First Degree ·

2025/05/15

The bitch is back! This week Jac and Lex are joined by their fav, Holly Madison to gossip about all of the latest dark news. We get her hot takes on Blake vs Justin, the disgusting slew of female teacher predators, and of course Diddy (and was there really a tunnel connecting his house to the Playboy Mansion???). 🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on Patreon:patreon.com/thefirstdegree📸 Instagram: instagram.com/thefirstdegree🕺 TikTok:

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00:42:24

Episode 351: Slanz Bilello

The First Degree ·

2025/05/14

On August 21, 2023, a 53-year-old husband and father fails to return home from work not far from Oakland, Maryland. News eventually reaches his family that he’s been involved in a terrible incident. While driving home, the crane operator’s vehicle skids off the road and ends up in a ravine, his life hanging in the balance. The man is taken to the hospital, where he tragically dies. But it’s not injuries from the car crash that have claimed his life. The reason the victim ran off the road in the

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00:46:58

DEEP DIVE: DIDDY IS BACK

The First Degree ·

2025/05/08

This week Jac and Alexis dive into the long awaited start of the Diddy trial (and why haven’t we seen ANYTHING about it on the news???), bringing the latest updates including the complexity of jury selection, celebrity names mentioned we’ve never heard before, and what will or will not be included during trial. Then, the latest with the Blake and Ryan cringe machine, and finishing it off with the weirdest “realistic 3D model” of Madeline McCann we’ve ever seen.🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes

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00:54:03

Episode 350: Holly Madison: Kerissa Fare

The First Degree ·

2025/05/07

On July 30, 2000, an 85-year-old man and his 78-year-old wife are taken hostage and soon after killed in a home in Concord, California. In the following days, three more murders are committed as a trio of offenders seek to leave minimal witnesses behind. When the perpetrators are apprehended and their motivations revealed, the truth behind the bloodbath is as bizarre as it is frightening - a dark and elaborate plan so disconnected from reality it’s impossible to comprehend how such violence could be

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00:41:53

DEEP DIVE: IS SHE CURSED?

The First Degree ·

2025/05/01

This week Jac and Alexis unpack their recovery from Stagecoach and dive into the latest headlines: from Katy Perry’s tour flop (why was she fighting an HVAC tube???) to Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds’ Time 100 Gala outing (why was she on the list???), and the Elizabeth Moss sighting at L Ron Hubbards bday party (why is a dead man still throwing birthday parties???). Another weird, wild week🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on

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630 results

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