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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

00:41:17

Episode 125: 2020 Is Almost Over

The First Degree ·

2020/12/30

An extended Killin' Time episode where Jac, Alexis & Billy reflect and wax hopeful about 2021 Please support the show by checking out our sponsors! Chil Wellness: Visit Chilwellness.com and enter 25OFF at checkout for 25% off your order. TalkSpace: Go to Talkspace.com or download the app. Make sure to use the code FIRSTDEGREE to get $100 off of your first month and show your support for the show TheRealReal:Download the RealReal app today to shop and sell your favorite luxury brands and get 20%

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00:47:53

Episode 124: Festivus

The First Degree ·

2020/12/23

Please support the show by checking out our sponsors! Chil Wellness: Visit Chilwellness.com and enter 25OFF at checkout for 25% off your order. Embark: Go to EmbarkVet.com now to get free shipping and save $50 off your Embark Breed and Health Kit with Promo code FIRSTDEGREE SimpliSafe: Visit SimpliSafe.com/FIRSTDEGREE for your free security camera today. 🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on Patreon:patreon.com/thefirstdegree❤️ The Heavy Metal Project:

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00:34:50

Episode 123: Malcolm Burrows Part 2

The First Degree ·

2020/12/16

Malcolm Burrows is dead. Adam Braseel has been sent to a maximum security prison for his murder. He maintains he is innocent, but no few believe him--Until the cop who was at the murder scene reads a story about his trial. “Why wasn’t I called to the stand?” he wonders. The reason he wasn’t called is as baffling as it is sinister--and his questions set in motion an amazing revelation. In episode 123, Jac, Alexis and Billy bring you the conclusion to a case that truly is stranger than fiction.Please

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00:48:51

Episode 122: Malcolm Burrows Part 1

The First Degree ·

2020/12/09

A woman is attacked in her own home by a man wielding a baseball bat. The man, wearing a white cap, runs out of the house and escapes in a gold car. The police are called to the scene, and find the woman’s brother dead on the side of the road. His skull is nearly split in two. A suspect is arrested. He is picked out of a lineup by the victim. He drives a gold car. He wears a white cap. Sounds cut and dry, right? Not so fast. In episode 122, Jac, Alexis and Billy begin the extraordinary tale of

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01:00:57

Episode 121: Emma Walker

The First Degree ·

2020/12/02

16-year-old Emma Walker and 18-year-old Riley Gaul had been together for two years and appeared to be the perfect couple, especially on social media. And they were- until they weren't. On episode 121 of The First Degree, Jac, Alexis & Billy explore the case of 16-year-old Emma Walker.Please support the show by checking out our sponsors!Daily Harvest: Go to DAILYHARVEST.com and enter promo code FIRST to get twenty-five dollars off your first box!Hello Fresh: Go to HelloFresh.com/FIRST90 and use code

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00:37:06

Episode 120: Thanksgiving

The First Degree ·

2020/11/25

🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on Patreon: patreon.com/thefirstdegree ❤️ The Heavy Metal Project: theheavymetalproject.com 📸 Instagram: instagram.com/thefirstdegree 🕺 TikTok: tiktok.com/@thefirstdegreee 👤 Facebook: facebook.com/thefirstdegree ⚖️ On the Stand: (818) 446-6889 💩 Worst Thing You’ve Ever Done: (818) 446-6889 🤝 Advice: hello@thefirstdegreepodcast.com

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00:54:35

Episode 119: Westley Young

The First Degree ·

2020/11/18

In 2006, a Myspace post began circulating among a group of friends in Stevens point Wisconsin. The claims made in the post were sinister, horrifying and suggested that a murder had taken place. The revelations that followed devastated the community, fractured a group of friends and left loved ones of the victim at a complete loss. On episode 119, Jac, Alexis & Billy profile and search for answers in the perplexing case of Westley Young.Please support the show by checking out our sponsors!Simplisafe:

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00:59:30

Episode 118: Coach Scully

The First Degree ·

2020/11/11

A high school pole vaulting coach doesn’t show up for practice. His car is then found on the side of the roads near the woods, door open, keys still in the ignition. That’s just the beginning of this twisted case. In episode 118, Jac, Alexis and Billy delve deep into the story of Jeremy Scully, and uncover a tale of sex clubs, falling in love, jealousy and murder. Plus, talking dream talk show guests for Killing Time. 🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on

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00:58:59

Episode 117: Stephen Perez

The First Degree ·

2020/11/04

Imagine enlisting in the army before you even turn 18. You do two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, come back home to Boston and pursue a career in law enforcement. Then one night when you’re out with friends, words are exchanged with another group. A brawl ensues. And the unthinkable happens. On episode 117, Jac, Alexis and Billy investigate the murder of Stephen Perez. And if you stick around for Killing Time, you will finally learn what Alexis and Billy were up to on Long Island. 🎟 Catch up to FOUR

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00:52:04

Episode 116: Dianne Hood Part 2

The First Degree ·

2020/10/28

Diane Hood had been murdered in cold blood by her husband’s lover. That much is clear. But what everyone wants to know now is: Did she act alone, or did Diane’s husband come up with the idea? In episode 116, Jac, Alexis and Billy conclude the story of the Fatal Attraction killing, with tales of manipulation, mercy killings, a life insurance policy, and a man twisting Bible verses for evil. 🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on

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00:52:37

Episode 115: Dianne Hood Part 1

The First Degree ·

2020/10/21

Two women walk through a parking lot at night. They are accosted by a masked figure who demands their belongings. They comply. But as one of them runs away, she is shot in the back. The masked assailant then stands over her and shoots her in the chest, killing her. The police first think it’s a robbery gone wrong. But as they dig further, they find something far more sinister. In episode 115, Jac, Alexis and Billy explore the Colorado Springs murder of Dianne Hood.Support the show by checking out

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00:55:28

Episode 114: Vicki Logan & Wanda Turner

The First Degree ·

2020/10/14

Imagine being in college and getting a phone call--the police think one of your best friends from high school, a guy you thought of as a little brother-- murdered his mother and grandmother. Where would your mind go? Would you immediately think “this can’t be true” and go into help mode? Would you be defiant till the end? Or as the evidence piled up against him, would you finally accept it? In episode 114, Jac, Alexis and Billy delve into the murders of Vicki Logan and Wanda Faye Turner.Support the

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00:45:54

Episode 113: Oklahoma City Bombing Part 3

The First Degree ·

2020/10/07

In episode 112, Jac, Alexis and Billy conclude with part three of their series on The Oklahoma City Bombing. Please support the show by checking out our sponsors: Healist: Go to Healistnaturals.com/Firstdegree to sign up and get your free sample today Upstart: Go to Upstart.com/firstdegree to find out HOW LOW your Upstart rate can be 🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on Patreon:patreon.com/thefirstdegree❤️ The Heavy Metal Project: theheavymetalproject.com📸

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00:35:45

Episode 112: Oklahoma City Bombing Part 2

The First Degree ·

2020/09/30

Imagine you just got married six weeks ago. You’re both secret service agents. You work in Phoenix. She works in Oklahoma City, but you are planning your next rendezvous soon. Then one morning, your beeper is filled with pages, one after another. All of them urgent. You learn the federal building in Oklahoma City has been destroyed by a terror attack. In episode 111, Jac, Alexis and Billy are joined by another first degree connected with the Oklahoma City Bombing, and they cover the crime scene

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00:44:40

Episode 111: Oklahoma City Bombing Part 1

The First Degree ·

2020/09/23

Depending on your generation, you have those defining moments of our childhood, where you can recall exactly where you were when it happened. For baby boomers, it's the Kennedy assassination, for GenX’rs, it's the Challenger explosion, for Millennials, its 9/11. But how you would feel if you were a child, watching the events unfold on TV, and not knowing if a loved one who was there at the site of one of these events was alive or dead. In episode 110, Jac, Alexis and Billy delve into the horror of

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00:48:52

Episode 110: Mikey Keller

The First Degree ·

2020/09/16

Imagine being one month away from going on your first plane ride. One month away from seeing the ocean for the first time...and then the opportunity is snatched away, forever. In episode 110, Jac, Alexis and Billy delve into the shocking murder of Mikey Keller, a crime that deals with conspiracy, betrayal, petty greed and a big screen TV. 🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on Patreon:patreon.com/thefirstdegree❤️ The Heavy Metal Project:

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00:54:36

Episode 109: Janet Downing Part 2

The First Degree ·

2020/09/09

Janet Downing lay dying in her dining room. Dying from 98 stab wounds. The person arrested for murder was not an escaped mental patient. He was not the boogie man. He was her son’s best friend, the 15-year-old boy who lived across the street, who she had watched grow up. Were there any signs? Any warnings that this cherub-faced child had a bloodlust lurking inside him? Turns out, there very well might have been. In episode 109, Jac, Alexis and Billy delve into the investigation, and uncover

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00:56:31

Episode 108: Janet Downing Part 1

The First Degree ·

2020/09/02

It was the hang-out house in the neighborhood. All the kids would come by the Downing residence, visiting with 16-year old twins Ryan and Paul, chilling in the living room playing Sega, and being served snacks by the mom of the household, Janet Downing. But on the night of July 23rd, the house on Boston Street would become a horror scene. On episode 108, Jac, Alexis and Billy head to Somerville, Massachusetts to delve into the murder of Janet Downing—and uncover the neighborhood secrets that were

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00:53:22

Episode 107: Shannon Leigh Kos

The First Degree ·

2020/08/26

When 12-year-old Shannon Leigh Kos disappeared on a Sunday afternoon, the police initially suspected that the rebellious 7th grader was just blowing off some steam and would be home soon. But after days of searching, they discovered the grim reality of what truly happened to Shannon. On episode 107, Jac, Alexis & Billy delve into the brutal, tragic, and utterly senseless events of October 8, 2000, and what transpired in a place called “ZombieLand”. 🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month

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00:41:31

Episode 106: Pat & Bobbie McNeely

The First Degree ·

2020/08/19

Can someone be born evil? Or is evil a product of your environment. The McFeelys had their hands full with their teenage grandson, Brian. The boy they had custody of was rambunctious and childish—and then he turned dangerous. He would go away, seemingly get better then come back and get worse. And then one day, the situation became deadly. On episode 106, Jac, Alexis and Billy tell the story of mental illness, child protective services and unspeakable horror. 🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per

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