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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

53:59

DEEP DIVE: PSYCHIC MEDIUM JONATHAN MARK

The First Degree ·

2025/10/09

This week on a very special Deep Dive, we are joined by psychic medium Jonathan Mark! We chat with him about why celebrities trust him to do their readings, how he discovered he was different and what he really thinks about the most controversial true crime cases. He is truly a gem of a human, and we hope you enjoy our conversation as much as we did!🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on Patreon: patreon.com/thefirstdegree 📸 Instagram:

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52:21

Episode 372: The Hillside Stranglers, Part 2

The First Degree ·

2025/10/08

The call from Washington changed everything. When Los Angeles detectives learned Kenneth Bianchi had been arrested for a double murder hundreds of miles away, the truth about the Hillside Strangler finally began to surface. But uncovering the killers was only the beginning. In episode 372, Jac and Lex take you inside the longest murder trial in American history. A case marked by manipulations, bizarre side shows, and near-collapse, as Bianchi turned on his cousin Angelo Buono, and prosecutors

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48:10

DEEP DIVE: BAD WITCH CLUB

The First Degree ·

2025/10/02

It’s officially soooky szn, and what better way to kick it off than with a PROFESSIONAL WITCH! It’s a super special Deep Dive with Sarah Potter: tarot reader, psychic medium, and yes…pro witch. She helps us lean into our own powers to be the baddest witches we can be.🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on Patreon: patreon.com/thefirstdegree 📸 Instagram: instagram.com/thefirstdegree 🕺 TikTok: tiktok.com/@thefirstdegreee 👤 Facebook:

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43:33

Episode 371: The Hillside Strangers, Part 1

The First Degree ·

2025/10/01

In late 1977, Los Angeles was terrorized by a string of brutal murders that the press dubbed the work of the “Hillside Strangler.” Victims were found in public places, bound and strangled, their bodies eerily posed. A witness spotted two men with one of the victims, sparking theories that the crimes were a coordinated effort. In episode 371, Jac and Lex delve into the story of the Hillside Stranglers, a case that stumped law enforcement until a phone call from Washington broke the investigation wide

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6:58

Introducing: CRIMES OF…

The First Degree ·

2025/09/26

Power. Fame. Obsession. Betrayal. These are more than headlines. They are the forces behind some of the most unforgettable crimes in history. Crimes Of... is a weekly true crime anthology series, hosted by Sabrina Deana-Roga and Corinne Vien of Two Girls One Ghost, that explores a new theme each season, such as crimes of the paranormal, unsolved murders, mysterious disappearances, and more. For their first season, Sabrina and Corinne are diving into Crimes of: Infamy. The real-life true crime

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47:30

DEEP DIVE: BIG ASS WIGS

The First Degree ·

2025/09/25

Get in loser we’re going to reveal the bleak, disgusting truths about your favorite fashion trends (hint: they all originated as ways to hide disease in the Medieval times)! Plus, a deep dive on belly buttons and what they say about your personality and life expectancy! Oh, and how to prevent murder while taking a 💩. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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55:47

Episode 370: Brown's Chicken Massacre, Part 2

The First Degree ·

2025/09/24

For nearly ten years, investigators had no clue who killed seven people in the Palatine Brown’s Chicken on January 8th of 1993. They followed more than 4,800 leads and arrested several potential suspects, but nothing came of these efforts. The murders of Brown’s Chicken employees 16-year-old Michael Castro, 17-year-old Rico Solis, 31-year-old Tom Mennes, 32-year-old Marcus Nellsen, and 47-year-old Lupe Maldonado and owners 49-year-old Lynn Ehlenfeldt and 50-year-old Dick Ehlenfeldt were a tragic

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45:35

DEEP DIVE: DEEP IN OUR EELINGS

The First Degree ·

2025/09/18

Move over octopuses, eels are the REAL alien in town. Jac accidentally fell into the Bermuda Triangle and she’s sharing all of her eel facts with the class (spoiler alert….we don’t know ANYTHING about them???). Plus Dancing with the Sharks and a quick Blake vs Justin update!🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on Patreon: patreon.com/thefirstdegree 📸 Instagram: instagram.com/thefirstdegree 🕺 TikTok: tiktok.com/@thefirstdegreee 👤 Facebook:

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56:12

Episode 369: Brown's Chicken Massacre, Part 1

The First Degree ·

2025/09/17

Shortly after 9 p.m. on January 8th of 1993, seven people begin the closing routine for the Brown’s Chicken & Pasta restaurant located in Palatine, Illinois. Of the seven people, five are employees: 16-year-old Michael Castro, 17-year-old Rico Solis, 31-year-old Tom Mennes, 32-year-old Marcus Nellsen, and 47-year-old Lupe Maldonado. The other two individuals are the owners: 49-year-old Lynn Ehlenfeldt and her 50-year-old husband, Dick Ehlenfeldt. When two men approach the Brown’s Chicken’s locked

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49:16

DEEP DIVE: SHOW ME DEM ALIENS

The First Degree ·

2025/09/11

This week we’re going all over the place, so buckle up for the ride. Starting off with a dead body being found in a TikTok star’s Tesla trunk (but he’s been on tour so who put it there???), UFOs are all over the damn place, just released terrifying shirtless selfies of Bryan Kohberger, and Elizabeth Gilbert admitting to *almost* attempting to kill her partner but no one seems to care?? WHAT IS HAPPENING🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on

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69:07

Episode 368: Zahra Baker

The First Degree ·

2025/09/10

On the afternoon of October 9, 2010, police in Hickory, North Carolina, receive a report of a missing 10-year-old girl. Everyone in her life is desperate for her safe return. But as the search continues, it emerges that she hasn’t been seen outside the house for some time. Almost a month after the youngster is reported missing, her remains are found in nearby woods, her cause of death unknown. When a suspect is arrested, the community is stunned and appalled when it learns the gruesome and

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49:13

DEEP DIVE: UNKNOWN CALLER, THE HIGH SCHOOL CATFISH

The First Degree ·

2025/09/04

The title says it all. This week we are deep diving Unknown Caller: The High School Catfish documentary, because we’ve got THOUGHTS. We analyze every moment of the documentary, what was missing from it, and share how we really feel about Kendra. Plus, Luigi Mangione modeling for SHEIN??🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on Patreon: patreon.com/thefirstdegree 📸 Instagram: instagram.com/thefirstdegree 🕺 TikTok: tiktok.com/@thefirstdegreee 👤 Facebook:

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40:28

Episode 367: An Arrest: Nikki Cheng Saelee McCain

The First Degree ·

2025/09/03

When we first covered the disappearance of 39-year-old mother of four, Nikki Cheng Saelee McCain, in episode 330, her case was still classified as a missing persons investigation. Months later, everything has changed. Authorities have reclassified the case as a homicide, Nikki’s husband Tyler has spoken publicly for the first time, and now he’s been arrested and charged with her murder. In this update episode, Jac and Lex revisit Nikki’s story, track the dramatic turns since March, and explore how

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48:49

DEEP DIVE: BASED ON A FAKE STORY

The First Degree ·

2025/08/28

It’s a variety show kinda week, and we’re covering all ends of the oddity spectrum for you. From Will Smith’s AI concert promo fail, to forensic otters, to getting knives stuck in your chest for 10 years, to the Burning Man Orgy Dome, to super powered humans who feel no pain, you’e bound to learn a new random useless fact or two to take with you this week!🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on Patreon: patreon.com/thefirstdegree 📸 Instagram:

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51:16

Episode 366: The Kalamazoo Uber Murders

The First Degree ·

2025/08/27

It began as an ordinary night in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Families were out, friends gathered, strangers hailed rides to get across town. But beneath the surface of that routine evening, something unthinkable was unfolding. A man who seemed to have everything together, a job, a family, no history of violence, suddenly broke from the life he knew. Over the course of just a few hours, a city was gripped by a series of random, senseless attacks that defied explanation. Between rides for a car service, he

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45:11

DEEP DIVE: DIZZY GLIZZY

The First Degree ·

2025/08/21

It’s a week full of replacing eyeballs with teeth, con men “suicides”, and thousands of hotdogs flying through the air. Plus, Jenna Miscavige is officially on TikTok and answering all of our most burning questions about Scientology (like where the HELL is Shelly???).Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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60:45

Episode 365: Carrie Lepak

The First Degree ·

2025/08/20

Homicide detectives are trained to speak for the dead. They build cases from silence, piecing together fragments of lives they never truly knew. Rarely do they ever get to meet the people they fight for. But for one Los Angeles investigator, that changed in the fall of 1987, when a woman lived through the impossible. After being abducted, held captive for 48 hours, and shot in the head twice, she somehow survived. Her story not only defied medical odds, it reshaped a detective’s career and life,

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47:46

DEEP DIVE: TOUR DE EPSTEIN

The First Degree ·

2025/08/14

Have you ever wondered what the inside of Jeffrey Epstein’s New York brownstone looked like? Well have no fear! The photos have been leaked and we are going through and analyzing each and every detail. Plus, cursed labubus and banned baby names!🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on Patreon: patreon.com/thefirstdegree 📸 Instagram: instagram.com/thefirstdegree 🕺 TikTok: tiktok.com/@thefirstdegreee 👤 Facebook: facebook.com/thefirstdegree Learn more about

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43:34

Episode 364: Just Outside the Line

The First Degree ·

2025/08/13

She did everything right. She kept the records. Filed the reports. Changed her routines. But none of it mattered. Because the man tormenting her stayed just outside the rules. A case where psychological terror was real, constant, and intentional- and yet, legally invisible. In episode 364, Jac and Lex unravel how stalking can become a form of slow-motion violence. How the system waits for blood before it acts. And how, sometimes, the most dangerous threats are the ones hiding in plain sight,

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50:30

DEEP DIVE: THE DOCTOR WILL SEE YOU NOW

The First Degree ·

2025/08/07

This week we’re deep diving into Matt Rife buying Ed & Lorraine Warren’s haunted house (AND the Annabelle doll WTF?!), Dave Franco x Luigi Mangioni, Radioactive Wasps, and the woman who is crashing out on tiktok from falling in love with her psychiatrist, and WOO BOY is it a ride.🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on Patreon: patreon.com/thefirstdegree 📸 Instagram: instagram.com/thefirstdegree 🕺 TikTok: tiktok.com/@thefirstdegreee 👤 Facebook:

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658 results

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