The First Degree

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The First Degreeactive

Publisher |: Alexis Linkletter, Jac Vanek, Billy Jensen

Media Type |: audio

Podknife tags |: Society & Culture,; True Crime

Categories Via RSS |: News,; Society & Culture,; True Crime

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!)

People |: Billy Jensen (@billyjensen),; Alexis Linkletter (@lexlinkletter),; Jac Vanek
Country Of Origin |: USA
Produced In |: Los Angeles, CA
Premiere Date |: 2018-08-08
Frequency |: Weekly
Explicit |: No

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561 Available Episodes (561 Total) / Average duration: 00:50:06

Date Duration Most Reviewed Highest Rated

561 Available Episodes (561 Total)Average duration: 00:50:06

Feb 20, 2025

00:59:14

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

Feb 19, 2025

00:34:00

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

Feb 13, 2025

00:49:53

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

Feb 12, 2025

00:58:25

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

Feb 06, 2025

00:48:27

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

Feb 05, 2025

00:48:41

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

Jan 30, 2025

00:57:30

It Ends With Us NEVER ENDS, and this week we’re learning that the ultimate villain might be none other than…Ryan Reynolds?? We’re going through all of the latest bombshells including why Colleen Hoover REALLY deleted her social media, evidence that Ryan Reynolds might be responsible for all of this mess, It Ends With Us Coloring Book???, exposing the NYT smear campaign, and Taylor Swift finally enters the chat (and it looks like Khaleesi might have lost one of her dragons).

🎟 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

Jan 29, 2025

00:39:19

In the early morning hours of January 22, 2021, 91-year-old Gilbert John Gutjahr was found severely wounded in his Bethany, Oregon home. When deputies arrive to help the retired public servant, he dies. Within hours, Gilbert’s stepson was arrested on a second degree murder charge. Jake’s cousin told officers that she witnessed Jake kill Gilbert. In episode 336, Jac and Alexis explore this case which at first seemed open and shut, but the true complexities had yet to be revealed, exposing a tangled web of dysfunction within a family.

🎟 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

Jan 23, 2025

00:47:19

In news interviews Justin Baldoni’s lawyer promised to “sue Blake Lively into oblivion,” and those were not empty threats. Tinfoil hats on because the gals are taking you through the highlights of his scathing 179 page lawsuit. And brace yourselves because Lively’s famous bestie has been roped in too.

🎟 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

Jan 22, 2025

00:56:07

Peter Nygard is one of the world’s most reviled sexual predators who you may have never heard of. For decades the Canadian fashion mogul intimidated his victims into silence and paid to bury accusations made against him while trafficking underage girls to his Bahamian party mansion on his private jet. Emmy winning journalist and anchor Ashleigh Banfield grew up with Nygard as the uncle of childhood best friend, and knew him as “Uncle Peter.”On this very special episode of The First Degree, Asheigh Banfield takes Alexis and Jac through the shocking story, which led Ashleigh to release her own podcast Drop Dead Serious: Uncle Peter to explore and recount the last 40 years of Nygard’s crimes.

Subscribe to Drop Dead Serious and watch the trailer below:

Follow on Apple:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/drop-dead-serious-with-ashleigh-banfield/id1749169659

Follow on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/5DndaieKD0xZO5d1NrqhjI?si=babe7d07168b4af5

Subscribe on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@DropDeadSerious

Trailer on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/Ayqr4K5jOes?si=4vZp66_hB61EQN0j

Website:

https://www.dropdeadserious.com/

🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on Patreon: