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Jac Vanek

Alexis Linkletter

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!)

The First Degree

Debuts Wednesday, August 15th 2018.

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

patreon.com/thefirstdegree

📸 Instagram: instagram.com/thefirstdegree

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Teaser

In the debut episode, Jac, Alexis, and crime journalist Billy Jensen examine the tale of Ryan Jenkins, an alleged Canadian millionaire with a dream of making it big on reality television. His wish was granted when he landed starring roles on VH1’s Megan Wants A Millionaire and I Love Money 3, but the real life drama that followed was far too twisted and explicit for TV. After a strange disappearance, a trail of gruesome evidence, and an international manhunt, it became clear that his fairy tale love story would never have its happy ending.

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🎟 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

Episode 01: Ryan Jenkins

In episode two, Jac, Alexis, and Billy dive head first into Jac’s first degree story. Growing up in a cookie cutter neighborhood of Orange County, the last thing Jac expected was to be one degree away from a sinister homicide. This episode encompasses all of the elements of a made-for-TV movie story: sex, cheating, sugar babies, a love triangle, pro athletes, master manipulation, and of course…murder.

🎟 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

Episode 02: Nanette Johnston

In episode three, Jac, Alexis, and Billy delve into a nightmarish murder that sent shock waves through the picturesque hamlet of Nesconset, New York. After hearing this chilling First Degree perspective from one of our very own hosts, you'll come to truly understand our phrase," keep your friends close, but not that close.

🎟 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

Episode 03: Victor Chunga

On episode four, Jac, Alexis and Billy dismantle the minds of serial sex offenders through the perspective of Detective Jordan Mirakian; a dedicated law enforcement officer who uncovered a horrifying personal connection to a series of chilling sexual assaults.They cover the psychology of predators, serial killers with sex-offender pasts, and the likelihood of escalation. 

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🎟 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

Episode 04: Jordan Mirakian

On episode five, Jac, Alexis and Billy cover The Bellevue Slasher, a silent assailant who calmly stabbed five strangers during a slashing spree in Midtown Manhattan on November 11th, 1980. Don't bother trying to google the case, you'll get nowhere. This elusive story is told through the First Degree perspective of The Bellevue Slasher's fourth victim, Dr. Robert Wolfe; a man who narrowly escaped with his life and lived to tell the tale. They'll dissect each vicious attack, the pain, the hunt for the assailant, the psychological aftermath and the disturbing surge of stranger slashings that plague New York City today.

🎟 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

Episode 05: The Bellevue Slasher

On episode 6, Jac, Alexis and Billy examine the murder of a beautiful San Francisco socialite named Joan McShane Mills. The characteristics of Joan's slaying and the events that followed have all the makings of a twisted Hollywood thriller; two open ended homicides, double lives, stolen bodies, decoy caskets, poetic justice, and a man accused of taking the law into his own hands.

🎟 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

Episode 06: Joan McShane Mills

Jac, Alexis and Billy encounter one of the most demented killers of the social media era, Luka Magnotta. The details of Luka's infamous crimes are told through the First Degree perspective of a determined citizen detective who hunted, identified, corresponded with, and was ultimately taunted by Magnotta himself. This episode follows Luka's path of destruction, his desire for fame and his escalation from kitten killer to one of the most gruesome and publicly viewed murders in history.

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🎟 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

Episode 07: Luka Magnotta Part 1

Jac, Alexis and Billy conclude with Part 2 of the Luka Magnotta story, a case which deals with a fame obsessed, narcissistic killer who first murdered kittens and posted the videos online before escalating to killing a human victim, posting the video online and sending his body parts across the continent.

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🎟 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

Episode 08: Luka Magnotta Part 2

On episode nine, Jac, Alexis and Billy explore the puzzling trail of destruction left in the wake of Sons of Anarchy actor, Johnny Lewis. They'll track his rapid decline, his decent into madness, the grisly murder of his elderly landlady and ultimately, the discovery of Johnny's body in the driveway of a Hollywood hills mansion.

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🎟 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

Episode 09: Johnny Lewis

In the middle of the night, a man and a woman go missing in the woods of Savage River State Forest. Their friend finds their cars at the trailhead, along with a pet cat in a carrier, candles and a bottle of motor oil. The events that unfold over the next 24 hours will create one of the most perplexing cases in true crime. In episode 151, Jac, Alexis and Billy begin the tale of Alex Stevens and Megan Shaffer.

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🎟 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

Episode 151: Alex Stevens Part 1

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