

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 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
Mentioned books

Mar 6, 2025 • 42min
DEEP DIVE: A LITTLE THIS, A LITTLE THAT
This week we’re diving deep into the weeks dark headlines: Luigi Mangione’s alleged sex tape scandal, Gene Hackman’s bizarre death, Blake Lively hiring an ex-CIA agent for her crisis PR, and Casey Anthony joining TikTok like nothing ever happened???
🎟 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 your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mar 5, 2025 • 54min
Episode 341: Anastasia WitbolsFeugen, Part 1
On October 22, 1997, an 18-year-old high school graduate is shot to death in a cemetery near Independence, Missouri. Her family is heartbroken, but sadly, she is not the only victim. Less than 72 hours later, someone close to the young woman then takes their own life. As the months drag on, the police investigation takes a series of twists and turns as suspicion focuses on a complex web of teenage relationships involving those closest to the victim. The case seems to stall until 3 years later a suspect is named. But is he The Real Killer? In episode 341, Jac and Alexis detail the haunting murder of Anastasia Elizabeth WitbolsFeugen.
🎟 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 your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Feb 27, 2025 • 45min
DEEP DIVE: DIDDY, FYRE FEST, & JUSTIN V BLAKE UPDATES
We’re coming back at you with this week’s dark headlines! We’re talking Diddy’s lawyer quitting (saying “under no circumstances can I continue”), Kim K allegedly having satanic art in her house, and Fyre Fest is BACK BABY! And of course we’ve got the Blake & Justin updates, including how Jenny Slate somehow twisted being offered $15,000 into a bad thing????
🎟 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 your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Feb 26, 2025 • 46min
Episode 340: The Victims: Milwaukee Ave Massacre
On November 26, 1981, four men were killed and two others were wounded in a shooting massacre on Thanksgiving night in Chicago, Illinois. The murders make headlines as being the worst multiple slayings in the city in four years. The son of one of the men whose life was stolen is our guest on this very special episode of The First Degree. Four members of his family were taken in foul swoop, and he takes us through the heart breaking aftermath of that loss and the continued injustice following the release of the men convicted of the murders.
🎟 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 your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Feb 20, 2025 • 1h 2min
DEEP DIVE: BLAKE VS JUSTIN PT 193572
MAKE IT STOPPPP! We’re back for another Blake vs Justin update, because the bombs just don’t stop dropping. We break down Blake & Ryan’s first public appearance at SNL’s 50th Anniversary (what the hell was THAT??), the new HR complaints that every news outlet refused to report on, and Blake’s updated suit that kindaaaa seems like it was written by Ryan Reynolds himself??
🎟 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 your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Feb 19, 2025 • 37min
Episode 339: Stacy Shaw
In the early hours of September 6, 1994, a 21-year-old woman is found murdered in her apartment in Bakersfield, California. Just days earlier, she’d been hanging out with friends, laughing and talking. Now, her friends are left to question how someone could have taken her life so brutally—and why. Despite the tragedy, there’s no full investigation into her case, leaving her close friend to take matters into his own hands. What he uncovers during his personal investigation shocks him—and continues to haunt him to this day. In episode 339, Jac and Alexis explore the haunting murder of Stacy Renee Shaw, the unsettling details her friend Brian uncovers, and how a case with more questions than answers still remains unsolved.
🎟 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 your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Feb 13, 2025 • 53min
DEEP DIVE: THE DRAMA MASHUP
Another week, another round of messed up and delusional celeb shenanigans. We bring you the Blake vs Justin updates, Taylor & Travis Super Bowl conspiracies, Armie Hammer eating more body parts, & Allison Holker (allegedly) writing fake Amazon reviews for her new memoir? These people truly are the gift that keeps on giving.
🎟 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 your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Feb 12, 2025 • 1h 2min
Episode 338: Love, Chaos & Tragedy
On July 25, 2015, a man went to check on his neighbors, a married couple living in the suburbs of Phoenix, Arizona. When the 43-year-old husband opens the door, the neighbor outside recoils in horror when he sees the man has a severed arm. Realizing that a much more gruesome scene far beyond anyone’s nightmares lies inside the home, the neighbor calls police. When they arrive they find the man has not only gouged out his eye, but that his 49-year-old wife is dead. As investigators try to piece together the events leading to such incomprehensible violence, even the most seasoned of detectives are shocked at what’s occurred. In episode 338, Jac and Alexis detail the heart breaking murder, and question to what extent such unimaginable incidents are truly preventable, if at all.
🎟 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 your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Feb 6, 2025 • 52min
DEEP DIVE: RECEIPTS. TIMELINE. PROOF. SCREENSHOTS.
Another week, another Blake vs. Justin vs. Ryan deep dive, and this one is a DOOZY. Justin Baldoni’s lawyer followed through with his promise and launched THELAWSUITINFO.COM detailing the updated complaint as well as a 198 page timeline of events. We’re going through all of the highlights and break down everything you need to know, including some of the cringiest texts known to man.
🎟 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 your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Feb 5, 2025 • 52min
Episode 337: Gilbert Gutjahr, Part 2
In episode 337 Jac and Alexis conclude with part 2 of the Gilbert Gutjahr case. While the case is technically adjudicated, questions may always loom about the driving force behind the murder itself. And information revealed during the court proceedings leads to startling revelations. This episode explores so much more than a shocking crime, they delve into family dynamics, how they shape who we become, and how to escape if needed.
🎟 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 your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


