The First Degree

Depending on your generation, you have those defining moments of our childhood, where you can recall exactly where you were when it happened. For baby boomers, it's the Kennedy assassination, for GenX’rs, it's the Challenger explosion, for Millennials, its 9/11. But how you would feel if you were a child, watching the events unfold on TV, and not knowing if a loved one who was there at the site of one of these events was alive or dead. In episode 110, Jac, Alexis and Billy delve into the horror of one of the worst terror attacks in American history, the bombing of the Murrah building in Oklahoma City. Please support the show by checking out our sponsors: Caliper: Go to CALIPER.COM/FIRSTDEGREE. Don’t forget promo code FIRSTDEGREE for 20% off your first order! Madison Reed: Go to Madison-Reed.com, Listeners get 10% off plus FREE SHIPPING on their first Color Kit with code FIRSTDEGREEPODCAST Noom: Visit noom.com/FIRSTDEGREE to start your trial today Shapermint: Go to Shapermint.com/FIRSTDEGREE and use code FIRSTDEGREE, to get an added discount of an extra 10% on your order Upstart: Go to Upstart.com/firstdegree to find out HOW LOW your Upstart rate can be 🎟 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

Imagine being one month away from going on your first plane ride. One month away from seeing the ocean for the first time...and then the opportunity is snatched away, forever. In episode 110, Jac, Alexis and Billy delve into the shocking murder of Mikey Keller, a crime that deals with conspiracy, betrayal, petty greed and a big screen TV. 🎟 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

Janet Downing lay dying in her dining room. Dying from 98 stab wounds. The person arrested for murder was not an escaped mental patient. He was not the boogie man. He was her son’s best friend, the 15-year-old boy who lived across the street, who she had watched grow up. Were there any signs? Any warnings that this cherub-faced child had a bloodlust lurking inside him? Turns out, there very well might have been. In episode 109, Jac, Alexis and Billy delve into the investigation, and uncover disturbing stories about Eddie O’Brien leading up to the murder of Janet Downing. Please support the show by checking out our sponsors Madison Reed: Listeners get 10% off plus FREE SHIPPING on their first Color Kit with code FIRSTDEGREEPODCAST Pretty Litter: Go to PrettyLitter.com and use promo code FIRSTDEGREE for 20% off your first order 🎟 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

It was the hang-out house in the neighborhood. All the kids would come by the Downing residence, visiting with 16-year old twins Ryan and Paul, chilling in the living room playing Sega, and being served snacks by the mom of the household, Janet Downing. But on the night of July 23rd, the house on Boston Street would become a horror scene. On episode 108, Jac, Alexis and Billy head to Somerville, Massachusetts to delve into the murder of Janet Downing—and uncover the neighborhood secrets that were hiding in plain sight. 🎟 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

When 12-year-old Shannon Leigh Kos disappeared on a Sunday afternoon, the police initially suspected that the rebellious 7th grader was just blowing off some steam and would be home soon. But after days of searching, they discovered the grim reality of what truly happened to Shannon. On episode 107, Jac, Alexis & Billy delve into the brutal, tragic, and utterly senseless events of October 8, 2000, and what transpired in a place called “ZombieLand”. 🎟 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

Can someone be born evil? Or is evil a product of your environment. The McFeelys had their hands full with their teenage grandson, Brian. The boy they had custody of was rambunctious and childish—and then he turned dangerous. He would go away, seemingly get better then come back and get worse. And then one day, the situation became deadly. On episode 106, Jac, Alexis and Billy tell the story of mental illness, child protective services and unspeakable horror. 🎟 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

When Seath started dating Amber, the 15-year-olds shouted their love from rooftops—and across social media. But as high school romances are want to do, the relationship fizzled, and Amber began to stray. She ghosted Seath, then started posting pictures on facebook of her with another man. These events would lead to jealousy, rage, name-calling, betrayal, conspiracy and, ultimately, murder. On episode 105, Jac, Alexis and Billy head to Summerfield, Florida, for a twisted tale of love and revenge. 🎟 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

Two people fail to come home after a day at high school. One is a 14-year old student and soccer player who just moved into town. The other is a 24-year-old math teacher. After a frantic search, police access the school’s surveillance video and watch a gruesome horror story unfold. In episode 104, Jac, Billy and Alexis delve into the tragic story of Colleen Ritzer and Philip Chism. 🎟 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

It’s now 2004, and BTK has been lurking in the shadows of Wichita, Kansas for 30 years. The murders have stopped, and it looks like he got away with his crimes...until a newspaper publishes a story on the anniversary of his first murders. And the killer just can’t help himself. In episode 103, Jac, Alexis and Billy explore how Dennis Rader’s narcissism helped police track him down, how his own daughter unwittingly aided in his capture, and the “grand finale” murder he planned to commit right before he was captured. You will also hear the killer in his own words confess to the crimes. 🎟 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

After murdering five people, the killer known as BTK made his first contact with the media. But now he’s disappeared. For three long years would waits, before forcing his way into the home of a woman and slaying her while her children listened. Nine months later he would kill again, and continue to taunt the police, writing “Do the cops think that all those deaths are not related? Golly-gee yes the MO is different in each but look--a pattern is developing.” The pattern was laid out for all to see. But even when he resurfaces six years later to kill once more, the cops are clueless. In episode 102, Jac. Alexis and Billy are again joined by Denis Rader’s daughter Kerri, and they attempt to answer the question: how do the circumstances in a killer’s “normal” life change the way he chooses victims in his sadistic life. 🎟 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

A mother, father and their two children are found murdered in their Wichita, Kansas home. When a group of men falsely confess to the crimes, the real killer directs the police to a letter. He writes about the monster inside of him. The monster who needs to kill. “Maybe you can stop him. I can't. He has already chosen his next victim or victims. I don't know who they are yet. The next day after I read the paper, I will know, but it's too late. Good luck hunting.” In the 101st episode, Jac, Alexis and Billy delve into one of the most twisted serial killers of all time, Denis Rader, who for forty years was known by the initials BTK. Their first degree guest is the killer’s daughter, Kerri Rawson, who had no idea the loving father who raised her was harboring a monster. 🎟 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

Two young women, their bodies beaten and strangled and found less than a mile from each other in the hills near Stanford University. For 40 years their killer went undetected. Then, during the hunt for the Golden State Killer, a name pops up on law enforcement’s radar: John Getreu. In episode 100, Jac, Alexis and Billy tell the tale of a family man, a boy scout leader, a loving father and grandfather who was attacking and murdering women for decades—and how he was finally captured. 🎟 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

A teenager is getting ready for a school dance. She’s quiet and shy but tonight, her friends are making her look and feel like a million bucks. It’s the summer of 1963, and they will all be dancing to the early strains of rock n roll. But for Margaret Willams, it would be the last dance she would ever attend. The next day her body would be found half naked on a nearby baseball field. Her killer is swiftly captured—but that is just the beginning of this story. In episode 99, Jac, Alexis and Billy look into a serial killer whose crimes spanned across decades and continents—and who was finally captured during the search for The Golden State Killer. 🎟 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

You drive past a lakefront mansion, see kids playing in the yard under the watchful eye of a smiling couple and you wish you could be that happy. They have it all. But what if there was something lurking in the shadows? Not everything is perfect. In episode 98, Jac, Alexis and Billy enter the home of the Short family on the shores of Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota, and discover that not everything is what it seems. 🎟 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

In the middle of the night, a man bangs on the door of a suburban house. A mother and daughter huddle in the bathroom. A father goes to the front door to investigate. Within minutes, both the mother and father are killed with shotgun blasts. And the daughter was kidnapped. In episode 97, Jac, Alexis and Billy are joined by a true crime obsessive who followed the crime—who learned of her unthinkable connection to the case after Jayme’s miraculous escape. For Killing Time, they discuss the death of Robert Fuller, a black man found hanging from a tree in Palmdale, California. 🎟 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

The story of how Keith Raniere became an international self-help guru — and, later, a convicted sex-cult leader — is one of those cautionary tales that’s not unfamiliar. A man who is a master of manipulation, able to seduce, exploit, alienate and control countless individuals after developing keen abilities to select precise prey, bait them, and slowly coerce them into doing exactly what he wants. In episode 96, Jac, Alexis and Billy are joined by Josh Block of the podcast, Uncover: Escaping NXIVM as they dig into the cult that branded women, controlled their entire lives and eventually was brought to justice. 🎟 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

This week, we are handing our mic over to our Black listeners to share their experiences of living in this country as a Black American. To everyone who sent their stories in, thank you. We appreciate the time and energy you gave us, and we feel honored that we can amplify your voices. 🎟 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

🎟 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

The story of Lorena Bobbitt drew media attention in 1993 for being one of the most and disturbing domestic dispute stories to ever hit the news. Lorena was not the first woman to ever fight back against her husband- and she wasn’t the last. But her story was one of the first to demand change in the way the world perceived domestic abuse and sexual assault. On episode 93, Jac, Alexis and Billy are joined by Lorena, as they reexamine the impact of the single cut that forever changed pop culture and sent shivers down the spine of domestic abusers around the world. And thank you for this episode's sponsors: Caldrea = Find your signature scent. Free shipping on orders of $50 or more at Caldrea.com Madison Reed = 10% off + Free Shipping on first color kit. Go to www.Madison-Reed.com and use promo code: FirstDegreePodcast Noom = Go to Noom.com/firstdegree to start your trial today! Daily Harvest = To get $25 dollars off your first box, go to www.DailyHarvest.com and enter promo code: First Native = 25% off your first purchase. www.nativedeodorant.com and use promo code: Degree 🎟 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

You get a call that your father is dead. You rush home and find he has been murdered. He was tied up, stabbed 31 times and beaten over the head. What could be worse? Police believe your mother—who was found tied up and locked in the bedroom closet—is the lone suspect in his death. In episode 93, Jac, Alexis and Billy tell the story of the murder of Jim Melgar, and how law enforcement disregarded key evidence and employed tunnel vision to zero in on Sandy Melgar as his killer. 🎟 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

It was a trial that seduced, consumed, and horrified the nation— Jodi Arias, facing the death penalty for the murder of her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander. Over the course of four months, Arias was up against a mountain of physical and circumstantial evidence. How did she defend herself? She went on the attack, grasping at straws, telling shocking and fabricated lies about Travis. In episode 92, Jac, Alexis and Billy examine the evidence against Jodi and explain how one woman spared the most hated woman in America from death. 🎟 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

Travis Alexander was found Murdered in his shower—shot in the face, stabbed in the back, his throat slashed ear to ear. Many of his friends pointed a finger at his ex-girlfriend, Jodi Arias. But police had to piece together her whereabouts on the day of the murder—and her calculating actions made that incredibly difficult. In episode 89, part two of a three part series, Jac, Alexis and Billy delve into the investigation of Jodi Arias, including blood evidence, her bank and credit card statements and the most shocking discovery: a camera found in the washing machine containing images of Travis’s last moments—shot by the killer. 🎟 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

Jealousy. Suspicion. Rage. And a calculated murder. You may think you know everything about Jodi Arias, the woman who killed Travis Alexander. But in episode 90 of The First Degree, Jac, Alexis and Billy speak with a first degree who had a front row seat to their ill-fated relationship, and learn details about Jodi’s actions that have never come to light before. 🎟 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

A Detective is trying to solve a murder at a local truck stop. His only lead is a grainy image of a yellow truck. One day, When a yellow long haul truck passes in front of him, his eyes widen. It’s a long shot, but Sgt. Pat Postiglione stops the driver. Inside his cab, he finds a bag of bloody clothes—evidence of other murders. In episode 89, Jac, Alexis and Billy delve into the murders of trucker serial killer Bruce Mendenhall. 🎟 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

A woman is found murdered at a truck stop in Nashville Tennessee. She is nude, displayed grotesquely, and a chunk of her flesh is missing. Was it to hide her identity, or did the killer take a trophy? In episode 86 of The First Degree, Jac, Alexis and Billy not only speak with the sister of the victim, but also with Detective Pat Postiglione, who was tasked with finding the killer-who soon learns that this wasn’t his first kill. 🎟 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

Jose Ramirez frantically called the police. He told them that his house had been ransacked, his parents were missing—and there was dried blood on the floor. When the police arrived, they didn’t find professor Susan Brill De Ramirez or her husband Antonio Ramirez Barron. But what they would later discover would shock the community of Peoria’s Bradley University to its core. On episode 87, Jac, Alexis and Billy explore the details of the case, the mind frame of those responsible, and search for an answer to the ever-pressing question: why? 🎟 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

Sheila Bellush had been discovered brutally murdered in her home, her four quadruplet babies covered in her blood after being left alone with their mother’s body for more than 6 hours. A supposedly random person drove 1700 miles to kill her. But why? In episode 86 of The First Degree, Jan, Alexis and Billy dig deep into the relationship of Sheila and Allan Thornburg and uncover the twisted lengths an ex-husband can go to to get revenge. Plus, on Killing Time, they talk about, what else? Tiger King: Joe Exotic. 🎟 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

Sheila Bellush is found dead, her throat slashed and shot in the face in the laundry room of her Florida home. The only witnesses to her murder? Her 23 month old quadruplets, covered in their mother’s blood. In the 85th episode of The First Degree, Jac, Alexis and Billy unravel the tale, which takes them from the beaches of Sarasota to the golf courses of San Antonio, uncovering a wicked tale a revenge. 🎟 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

In true crime, the story always seems to start like this: they had a perfect life, a loving family, a great home. Then we talk about how everything goes to hell. When parents seemingly do everything right. Work long hours. Raise their children in a supporting and loving household--And they’re still punished. We have to try to make sense of it. There’s a reason we say at the top of every episode: this could be you. No matter how good of a person you are. No matter how hard you work and how much love you give--This could be you. In the 84th episode of The First Degree, Alexis, Jac and Billy tell the tale of two families torn apart by a reckless act in the story of Alexander Ernandes, a West Point hopeful who was betrayed in the worst way by one of those closest to him. 🎟 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

Do you think you can always guess who the killer is just from a few details? The husband did it. The boyfriend did it. But sometimes, it’s not so simple. When Mackenzie Cowell was discovered murdered, the small town of Wenatchee, Washington was shook to its core. Fingers were pointed, claims were made, until the man with a Hannibal Lector tattoo emerged from the shadows. On episode 83 of the First Degree, Jac, Alexis and Billy delve into the twisted case of a serial killer-obsessed killer and the life he took away. 🎟 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

In 2005 a 30-year-old pageant queen and teacher named Tara Grinstead went missing. The community, her family and law enforcement were baffled- but all of that changed the moment a filmmaker named Payne Lindsey started digging into the details. On episode 81, Jac, Alexis and Billy are joined by Payne Lindsey of the groundbreaking "Up and Vanished" Podcast. Payne shares the details of the investigation, the story of how he became totally immersed -- at times obsessed -- with this fascinating case, and what really did happen to Tara Grinstead. 🎟 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

"Welcome to the house of fun. I'm Trey.” This is how teenager Trey Sessler introduced himself to the world on his Facebook profile. What was so fun about Trey’s house? He lived with his best friend brother and their parents. He was obsessed with anime, and had a popular Youtube channel where he commented on different movies and TV shows. And he liked guns. And one day, the house of fun turned into a house of nightmares. On the 80th episode of The First Degree, Jac, Alexis and Billy tell the horror story of Mr. Anime—and what he was planning on next. 🎟 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

What if you were at a party and someone looked through your purse? What if they found something that to you was completely innocent—but to them was a threat? On Episode 80 of The First Degree, Jac, Alexis and Billy delve into the 2018 case of missing 19-year-old Megan Metzger. A case that deals with a chance Facebook message, a three-day long party, crazed paranoia, a car set on fire and a pact between “friends” that would change many lives in a small town in Virginia. 🎟 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

You’re awakened at night by a prowler entering your home. What do you do? In the case of Kinney Glasson, you grab your gun and investigate—to devastating consequences. In episode 79 of The First Degree, Jac, Alexis and Billy begin with a home invasion, which then opens up into a world of exotic dancers, biker clubs and desperation. 🎟 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

He was an eccentric doctor in charge of fighting VD in Los Angeles. He held lavish parties at his Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home, entertaining famous artists and actors. He went to trial for raping his 14-year-old daughter. And he is the suspect that makes the most sense in the biggest murder mystery in American History. On episode 78, Jac, Alexis and Billy are joined Yvette Gentile and Rasha Pecoraro of the Root of Evil podcast, and together they delve deep into their great grandfather George Hodel, investigate the horrific things he did to their family and stack up the evidence that shows how he may very well have killed Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia. 🎟 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

The body of a woman is found in a vacant lot in suburban Los Angeles. She has been mutilated, cut in two with surgical precision, and her face has been slashed at both ends of her mouth, giving her a ghastly, horrific smile. In episode 77, Jac, Alexis and Billy delve into Elizabeth Short’s life in Hollywood and the lives—and lies— of the early suspects of the case, before landing on the one man who checks all the boxes of the psychological profile of the killer. 🎟 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

A mother and her two children seemingly disappear from their home in rural Missouri. An officer searching for them from the air spots something strange floating in a pond near their house. When he lands and investigates, a horrific nightmare begins to reveal itself. On episode 76, Jac, Alexis and Billy explore a case that begins in the countryside of Missouri, spans the United States with a national manhunt, and ends with two perpetrators confessing to one of the most sickening crimes—and one of the most brutal causes of death—ever covered on The First Degree 🎟 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

Aurora Duran was busy getting her children ready for school when she heard a commotion at her front door. When she went to investigate, she saw two men dragging her 17-year-old daughter out of the house and into a waiting car. It was the stuff of nightmares for any parent. On episode 75, Jac, Alexis and Billy delve into one of the most unique cases—and speak with one of the most unique guests— in First Degree history. 🎟 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

On New Year's Day of 2014, the parishioners of St. Bernard's Roman Catholic Church were waiting patiently for morning mass to commence in Eureka, California. Father Eric Freed was slated to lead services, but when he failed to show up that morning, concern began to fill the room. Worry grew to panic when a horrific discovery was made in the church rectory. On episode 74, Jac, Alexis and Billy explore the case, recount the bizarre events that proceeded the crime, and attempt to find a motive in a case of senseless violence. 🎟 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

On today’s very special New Years Day episode, Jac, Alexis, and Billy revisit one of the nations most infamous child abduction cases. On October 1, 1993, s 12-year-old girl was abducted from her room during a slumber party. Her name was Polly Klaas, and abduction and murder were a catalyst to vast policy reform. 🎟 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

On episode 72 of the first degree, Jac, Alexis and Billy discuss Alexis' most recent first degree connection which acts as a chilling reminder for the fact that a murderer could be hiding in your family whether you realize it or not. 🎟 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

Comedian Margaret Cho joins Jac, Alexis and Billy to tell the harrowing tale of how she found out a former romantic flame had taken a turn towards darkness. The story begins on a high note: Cho in Hollywood for her big break, a sit-com based on her life. Living the dream and working on the show, an accomplished TV writer caught her eye. The relationship never went far, but years later, Cho happened to google his name. His description had changed a bit. Now it read: American sit-com writer, television producer, and convicted murderer. On episode 71, Cho and our hosts explores her intimate connection to a man who went on to kill his own wife, hiding her body in his attic for weeks until he was caught 🎟 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

New Years day, 2003. The small town of Fillmore, California. A horrific discovery is made in a drainage ditch. The community is in shock. But as they file out of the church after the funeral, their shock multiplies when the location of the crime scene is revealed. On episode 70, Jac, Alexis and Billy examine the ripple effect of tragedy within a small town—and the evidence that led police to capture a budding serial killer. 🎟 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

It was January of 2013 when friends and family lost touch with sisters Rose & Daisy Edwards. The radio silence from the girls would come to destroy a family and baffle the community of Billings, Montana. On episode 69, Jac, Alexis & Billy are joined for the first time by two first degrees on opposite sides of this story; the brother of the victims and someone who grew up with the perpetrator. 🎟 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

They crossed paths by an abandoned house in Dayton, Ohio. 27-year-old Curtis Gray and 51-year-old Daniel Mooty were strangers, but this chance encounter would drastically change the course of one of their lives...and immediately end the other. On episode 68, Jac, Alexis and Billy deconstruct the evidence with Courtney, one of Curtis' best friends and our First Degree guest. 🎟 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

Things didn’t add up when a neighbor found Becky Sutton’s two year old strolling the apartment building courtyard unattended. Becky was known to be a responsible parent, and the two of them were known to be joined at the hip. On episode 67 Jac, Alexis and Billy look into her mysterious disappearance which turned a quiet suburb upside down and took several false starts and over a decade to crack. 🎟 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

What happens when you fall for a bad boy—a boy your parents refuse to let you to see? On episode 66, Jac, Alexis and Billy discuss a tragic murder case that destroyed an entire family and took away First Degree connection Audrina's best friend in high school. Through Audrina, they delve into the months leading up to the crime, the toxic influence on her friend's life, the horrific details of the murder, and finally, the pain in the aftermath. 🎟 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

Mike Gargiulo was a chameleon who possessed the ability to blend into the gritty backdrop of Los Angeles, slipping into the lives and proximity of his targets without a trace. Gargiulo committed crimes that both proceeded and followed the murder of Ashley Ellerin. His method of choice? Stalking each beautiful woman from the outskirts of their lives, acquainting himself with each of their habits before Striking at their most vulnerable moment. On episode 65, Jac, Alexis and Billy are joined again by Ashley Ellerin's childhood best friend Carolyn Murnick, as they discuss the hunt for the monster who would come to be known as The Hollywood Ripper. 🎟 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

22-year-old Ashley Ellerin was standing outside her Hollywood home next to a car with a flat tire when a handsome guy approaches and insisted on helping. This "chance encounter" would eventually be revealed as the first step in a carefully choreographed scenario designed to win Ashley's trust. It’s through this story that America would be introduced to a methodical serial killer; one who would leave a path of destruction and catch hundreds of people -- from a close-knit family in Illinois to Ashton Kutcher in Los Angeles -- in his wake. In episode 64, Jac, Alexis and Billy explore Ashley's life and the mysterious identity of the man who stole it. 🎟 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

One student is last seen at a Metallica concert. Her remains are found three months later. Fast forward five years, another student is last seen on late night surveillance video walking from bar to bar in the same town. And someone else is seen on the video—following her. It would be the clue that would capture a serial killer—-one who it seems could have been stopped much earlier. In a special crossover episode with Billy’s other podcast, Jensen & Holes: The Murder Squad, Jac, Alexis and Billy explore how a high school football star turned into a sexual predator and serial killer. 🎟 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