The First Degree
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 o...
Episodes
DEEP DIVE: BIG CANDY
It’s another week full of heists, weirdos, and conspiracy theories. George Clooney denies getting a BJ from Gislaine Maxwell, Lily Allen & the dude from Stranger Things are getting a divorce and she is airing ALL their dirty laundry out vi…
Episode 375: Sarah & Kayla Anderson
On August 5, 2022, the peacefulness of a close-knit neighborhood is shattered in Butler Township, Ohio. A 39-year-old man goes on an armed rampage, killing a 41-year-old woman and her 15-year-old daughter before shooting dead an older coupl…
Introducing a chilling new podcast: TWISTED TALES WITH HEIDI WONG
Reality is the real horror. Every Monday, poet and paranormal obsessive Heidi Wong unearths the chilling true stories behind the world’s most terrifying legends. From haunted dolls to cursed houses, each episode of Twisted Tales reveals th…
DEEP DIVE: THE HEIST
It’s been a wild, crazy, and random week. We are breaking down all the details of the Louvre jewelry heist (so chic, right??), telling the insane story of a Scottish gen z girl who faked a pregnancy and fooled her friends and family with a …
Episode 374: Meghan Kiefer
In October 2021, a 27-year-old woman is rebuilding her life on Long Island after leaving an abusive relationship. She has a new job, a safe place to stay, and plans for the future. But when her ex-boyfriend shows up and refuses to leave, he…
DEEP DIVE: ROMANTIC HOMICIDE
Oh boy we’ve got a lot to catch up on this week! We’re giving you all the latest updates on D4VD, including a full timeline of everything that has happened in the last few years. Plus, not all heroes wear capes! Ian Watkins is gone from thi…
Episode 373: Joseph "Joby" Palczynski
On March 7, 2000, a terrifying crime spree unfolds in the suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland. A 31-year-old man goes on a rampage, killing four people before holding a family of three hostage in a standoff lasting almost four days. Almost two w…
DEEP DIVE: PSYCHIC MEDIUM JONATHAN MARK
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 contro…
Episode 372: The Hillside Stranglers, Part 2
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 t…
DEEP DIVE: BAD WITCH CLUB
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 …
Episode 371: The Hillside Strangers, Part 1
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 me…
Introducing: CRIMES OF…
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 Vie…
DEEP DIVE: BIG ASS WIGS
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 pe…
Episode 370: Brown's Chicken Massacre, Part 2
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. …
DEEP DIVE: DEEP IN OUR EELINGS
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 …
Episode 369: Brown's Chicken Massacre, Part 1
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 R…
DEEP DIVE: SHOW ME DEM ALIENS
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 t…
Episode 368: Zahra Baker
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…
DEEP DIVE: UNKNOWN CALLER, THE HIGH SCHOOL CATFISH
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 Ke…
Episode 367: An Arrest: Nikki Cheng Saelee McCain
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 recl…
DEEP DIVE: BASED ON A FAKE STORY
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 s…
Episode 366: The Kalamazoo Uber Murders
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 …
DEEP DIVE: DIZZY GLIZZY
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 wh…
Episode 365: Carrie Lepak
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…
DEEP DIVE: TOUR DE EPSTEIN
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 n…
Episode 364: Just Outside the Line
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 inte…
DEEP DIVE: THE DOCTOR WILL SEE YOU NOW
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 h…
Episode 363: Jennifer and Adrianna Wix, Part 2
Even with a young mother and her toddler missing, investigators don’t seem to push for answers. Instead, they accept her boyfriend’s version of events and ignore glaring red flags. For years, Jennifer Wix’s family is left to fight for the t…
KILLING TIME: EEL OSMOSIS
You asked, we delivered! Killing Time is back (for a limited time only) and our very own Jared is back to guest host with us. Things got weird pretty fast. We’re talking Katy Perry & Justin Trudeau going on a first date, Orlando Bloom punch…
Episode 362: Jennifer and Adrianna Wix, Part 1
On March 25, 2004, a 21-year-old mother and her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter vanish without a trace from rural Robertson County, Tennessee. Their family is devastated…and immediately suspicious. In the months leading up to their disappe…
DEEP DIVE: WELCOME BACK OZZY OSBOURNE
Have you ever heard of the Trisha Paytas Reincarnation Theory??? Well now you have. This week we’re discussing the Amy Bradley documentary (and her brothers new theory), Jeffrey Epstein updates, Bohemian Grove lawsuits, a biting lawyer, and…
Episode 361: Brian Schaffer
In the spring of 2006, 27-year-old Ohio State medical student Brian Shaffer walked into a popular Columbus bar called the Ugly Tuna Saloona, and was never seen again. Surveillance footage captured him entering the bar around 1:55 a.m., but …
DEEP DIVE: RELEASE THE LIST
This week we literally cannot get over the gaslighting that’s happening with Jeffrey Epstein. Tin foil hats are staying on until further notice. We also dive into the Annabelle doll haunting (and…murder??), a man begging to be cursed by sat…
Episode 360: Jessica Gutierrez
On June 6, 1986, a single mom of three awakes to find her 4-year-old daughter has been abducted from her bed near Lexington, South Carolina. The family is desperate to find her. The girl’s sister tells law enforcement she saw a man in a ‘ma…
DEEP DIVE: JEFFREY EPSTEIN DIDN’T KILL HIMSELF
This week we’re diving into the absolute joke of the justice department declaring that “Jeffree Epstein DID in fact kill himself in prison and there is no ‘client list’” Yeah, sure Jan. We also chat about inmate immaculate conception, too…
Episode 359: Megan Trussell
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, mi…
DEEP DIVE: RULES FOR THEE, NOT FOR ME
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 …
Episode 358: Anatomy of Betrayal
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 threa…
DEEP DIVE: THE YELLOW DELI
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 beli…
Episode 357: Terence Freitas
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 fro…