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The First Degree

Alexis Linkletter, Jac Vanek
The First Degree
Latest episode

666 episodes

  • The First Degree

    DEEP DIVE: THE EPSTEIN FILES, PART 7 (PLUS REBEL WILSON)

    2026-03-19 | 47 mins.
    Another week, another handful of Epstein bombshells. We’re talking about the prison guard working during Epstein’s death being set to testify to congress, Hillary Clinton’s Epstein inspired merch, and Vera Wang’s bizarre connection to Epstein. And we end the episode on a completely unrelated mini deep dive of Rebel Wilson’s wild scandal we’ve never even heard about before today! It’s nuts, we promise.

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

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  • The First Degree

    Episode 395: The Eleventh Gun

    2026-03-18 | 37 mins.
    In early January 1985, a 20-year-old National Guardsman is on a training exercise in Henderson, Nevada. The ambitious and intelligent young man has a strong moral compass guiding him in his career. That is, until one day, when he’s confronted with a difficult choice and thrust into a situation out of his control. The cascade of choices he makes next change the course of his life in an entirely unanticipated way, altering his path forever. In episode 395, Jac and Alexis detail the intriguing story of Jerry Mathes, and how his journey through the criminal justice system and out the other side of incarceration forced him to mourn the kind of man he not only had been, but deep down face who he really wanted to be. This is a tale of the spiritually redemptive power of memoir and using one’s voice to reclaim both the truth and a new perspective on life-changing events.

    🎟 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

    📓 Substack: http://thefirstdegree.substack.com
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  • The First Degree

    DEEP DIVE: THE EPSTEIN FILES, PART 6

    2026-03-12 | 50 mins.
    Even though the world has seemingly moved on from Epstein, we refuse to stop talking about it. This week we are diving into the headlines of the week, including the new bestie statues of Trump & Epstein, the new search of Zorro Ranch, and the Clinton questioning. Then we’re going through the latest release of two victim’s accounts from Epstein’s Palm Beach home. And we end the episode with a good ole fashioned existential crisis.

    🎟 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

    📓 Substack: http://thefirstdegree.substack.com
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  • The First Degree

    Episode 394: Toby Beaugh

    2026-03-11 | 46 mins.
    In February 2006, a newly married 29-year-old man is walking home from a Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans when a black truck nearly strikes him and his wife. One block later, the truck circles back, runs him down, and flees, leaving his wife screaming in the intersection. Detectives call it a deliberate burst of road rage. But as weeks turn into months, the homicide investigation loses momentum. Years pass without an arrest, and his family is left questioning whether the urgency this case deserved was ever truly there. In episode 394, Jac and Alexis examine the unsolved murder of Toby Beaugh, and the years-long fight his sister has taken on to keep his case from being forgotten.

    🎟 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

    📓 Substack: http://thefirstdegree.substack.com
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
  • The First Degree

    DEEP DIVE: THE EPSTEIN FILES, PART 5

    2026-03-05 | 42 mins.
    We’ve been pulled into a few different rabbit holes this week, and it’s yet again a crazy ass ride. First, we look into Epstein’s ties to the Interlochen Center for the Arts summer camp in Michigan, and its infamous “Epstein Lodge”. We also learn the whistleblower’s identity who worked at the jail who posted on 4Chan the night of Epstein’s death (and what he said was pretty damning to say the least!). And lastly, we discuss the fact that the FBI willingly wiped the jail cell tapes to destroy all of the evidence from the night. Not sketchy 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

    📓 Substack: http://thefirstdegree.substack.com
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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About 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 our next guest. (Plus, join them every Thursday for Killing Time, the light-hearted, true crime-adjacent aftershow!)
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