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The First Degree – Alexis Linkletter, Jac Vanek — Personal Journals
The First Degree – Alexis Linkletter, Jac Vanek

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!)

Copyright: © Alexis Linkletter and Jac Vanek

Latest Episodes:

Episode 268: Kenneth White Oct 11, 2023

Show notes

At about 8:30 p.m. on October 18th of 2017, 32-year-old Kenneth Andrew White is going home after working at a construction site in Au Gres, Michigan. Sitting in the passenger seat of his colleague’s van, Kenneth and his coworker are only ten minutes away from their destination in Mt. Morris. Suddenly, a six-pound rock crashes through the front windshield. Kenneth is hit in the head and knocked unconscious. Shortly after, Kenneth is declared dead. Days later, investigators discover the culprits behind this deadly rock: five teenage boys from Clio, Michigan, aged 15 to 17. The group was known for throwing hard objects off highway overpasses for the purpose of causing vehicular damage. After years of controversial court proceedings, only one of the Clio Five would be sentenced as an adult. In episode 268, Jac and Alexis examine how five teenagers with no criminal history killed an innocent bystander through a dangerous “game.”

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

patreon.com/thefirstdegree

❤️ The Heavy Metal Project: theheavymetalproject.com

📸 Instagram: instagram.com/thefirstdegree

🕺 TikTok: tiktok.com/@thefirstdegreee

👤 Facebook: facebook.com/thefirstdegree

⚖️ On the Stand: (818) 446-6889

💩 Worst Thing You’ve Ever Done: (818) 446-6889

🤝 Advice: hello@thefirstdegreepodcast.com

🎟 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

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BONUS: KILLING TIME: WEDDING BELLS PART 1 Oct 05, 2023

Show notes

This week the girls and the ginger are back from France and ready to jump back into Killing Time! We’re breaking down our French festivities in part one of our wedding extravaganza recap! On the stand this week: ice and water, pillow allotments, and Etsy! Then Lex talks about her travel troubles and we get into the perils of partying in Paris! No worstie this week, we’ve got too much to talk about!

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

patreon.com/thefirstdegree

❤️ The Heavy Metal Project: theheavymetalproject.com

📸 Instagram: instagram.com/thefirstdegree

🕺 TikTok: tiktok.com/@thefirstdegreee

👤 Facebook: facebook.com/thefirstdegree

⚖️ On the Stand: (818) 446-6889

💩 Worst Thing You’ve Ever Done: (818) 446-6889

🤝 Advice: hello@thefirstdegreepodcast.com

🎟 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

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Episode 267: Robert Lovvorn Herren, Jr. Oct 04, 2023

Show notes

On April 17th of 1989, 31-year-old Cathy Marie Symanowski shoots and kills 38-year-old Robert “Lovvorn” Herren, Jr., with a semi-automatic rifle in Woodland, Alabama. Cathy met Lovvorn when he was hired by Cathy’s husband a few years earlier. At that time, Cathy and Lovvorn engaged in a short-lived romantic affair. Afterward, Lovvorn attempted to end his relationship with Cathy. In response, Cathy relentlessly stalked Lovvorn. In the spring of 1990, Cathy is convicted for murdering Lovvorn and sentenced to life in prison. In February of 2002, 45-year-old Cathy is released from prison on parole. Ten years later, in December of 2012, 54-year-old Cathy attempts to shoot and kill yet another one of her romantic partners: 68-year-old Gerald Eugene Palmer. Moments after this second murder attempt, Cathy dies by suicide. Miraculously, Gerald survives. In episode 267, Jac and Alexis explore the winding road that led one woman to hurt multiple men whom she claimed to love.

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

patreon.com/thefirstdegree

❤️ The Heavy Metal Project: theheavymetalproject.com

📸 Instagram: instagram.com/thefirstdegree

🕺 TikTok: tiktok.com/@thefirstdegreee

👤 Facebook: facebook.com/thefirstdegree

⚖️ On the Stand: (818) 446-6889

💩 Worst Thing You’ve Ever Done: (818) 446-6889

🤝 Advice: hello@thefirstdegreepodcast.com

🎟 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

BONUS: KILLING TIME: JACS FACTS Sep 28, 2023

Show notes

The girls and the ginger have returned once again! If you follow our Killing Time episodes, you know that we like to call ourselves the “half facts podcast”. Well not today! Jac did her research, and she’s here to add more wrinkles to all of our brains! On the stand this week: snoozing, insufficient condiment amounts, big weather, and cake! Then! A young worstie poaches a partner!

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

patreon.com/thefirstdegree

❤️ The Heavy Metal Project: theheavymetalproject.com

📸 Instagram: instagram.com/thefirstdegree

🕺 TikTok: tiktok.com/@thefirstdegreee

👤 Facebook: facebook.com/thefirstdegree

⚖️ On the Stand: (818) 446-6889

💩 Worst Thing You’ve Ever Done: (818) 446-6889

🤝 Advice: hello@thefirstdegreepodcast.com

🎟 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

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Episode 266: Michael Thomas Garry Sep 27, 2023

Show notes

On September 14, 2007, a 52-year-old security guard is savagely beaten at his workplace in Cypress, California in the early hours of the morning and left for dead, later discovered by his co-workers. Everyone who knows the man, who has autism and passes away hours later, is shocked that something so violent could befall someone so gentle and unassuming. It’s clear the victim was fatally attacked during a burglary, but who could wish such grievous harm on someone just doing their job? At the same time, the net is closing in on the perpetrators, and it’s only a matter of time before everyone learns how the killer's paths collided with the victim. In episode 266, Jac and Alexis detail the callous murder of Michael Thomas Garry at the hands of David Joseph Zimmer and Sean Christopher Hodge, and how devastating being in the wrong place at the wrong time can be.

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

patreon.com/thefirstdegree

❤️ The Heavy Metal Project: theheavymetalproject.com

📸 Instagram: instagram.com/thefirstdegree

🕺 TikTok: tiktok.com/@thefirstdegreee

👤 Facebook: facebook.com/thefirstdegree

⚖️ On the Stand: (818) 446-6889

💩 Worst Thing You’ve Ever Done: (818) 446-6889

🤝 Advice: hello@thefirstdegreepodcast.com

🎟 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

BONUS: KILLING TIME: MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY Sep 21, 2023

Show notes

This week, the girls and the ginger return with a public brainstorm session. Each of us have to pitch a meeting for a television sitcom where we’re the main character. Alexis Nexus, Very Jeri, and Jac Vanek stars in My Way or the Highway. Anybody have a contact at Netflix? On the stand this week: truck nuts, Panera Bread, condiments sitting out at a restaurant, and TSA precheck! Then! A worstie cons a cheater!

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

patreon.com/thefirstdegree

❤️ The Heavy Metal Project: theheavymetalproject.com

📸 Instagram: instagram.com/thefirstdegree

🕺 TikTok: tiktok.com/@thefirstdegreee

👤 Facebook: facebook.com/thefirstdegree

⚖️ On the Stand: (818) 446-6889

💩 Worst Thing You’ve Ever Done: (818) 446-6889

🤝 Advice: hello@thefirstdegreepodcast.com

🎟 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

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Episode 265: Norah Rayne Smitherman Sep 20, 2023

Show notes

On November 4, 2021, a 17-year-old high school senior is shot in the head at a residence in Yadkinville, North Carolina. It’s a gut-wrenching loss not just for the young woman’s family and friends, but her entire small community who are in mourning for the high achieving student. The shooter is immediately identified in an incident that appears to be a tragic accident. But as more information emerges about their history, the true picture of their prior behavior starts to paint an ugly picture. With these new details, the victim’s family hopes for a swift and just outcome, proportionate to the crime, not anticipating what was to come. In episode 265, Jac and Alexis detail the horrifying murder of Norah Rayne Smitherman at the hands of her friend Jace Allen, and how, when the full picture is not taken into account, those left behind are only left to suffer more anguish.

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

patreon.com/thefirstdegree

❤️ The Heavy Metal Project: theheavymetalproject.com

📸 Instagram: instagram.com/thefirstdegree

🕺 TikTok: tiktok.com/@thefirstdegreee

👤 Facebook: facebook.com/thefirstdegree

⚖️ On the Stand: (818) 446-6889

💩 Worst Thing You’ve Ever Done: (818) 446-6889

🤝 Advice: hello@thefirstdegreepodcast.com

🎟 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

BONUS: KILLING TIME: QUICKSAND Sep 14, 2023

Show notes

This week, the girls and the ginger are back, and we’re revisiting our childhoods. Specifically all the things we thought were going to be a much bigger problem in life. Quicksand, banana peels, DARE! On the stand this week: hanging shirts facing the same direction, felt hangers, doing things in direct sunlight, and variations of classic snacks! And then a worstie firstie by proxy!

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

patreon.com/thefirstdegree

❤️ The Heavy Metal Project: theheavymetalproject.com

📸 Instagram: instagram.com/thefirstdegree

🕺 TikTok: tiktok.com/@thefirstdegreee

👤 Facebook: facebook.com/thefirstdegree

⚖️ On the Stand: (818) 446-6889

💩 Worst Thing You’ve Ever Done: (818) 446-6889

🤝 Advice: hello@thefirstdegreepodcast.com

🎟 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

Episode 264: John Cornelius Mcghee Sep 13, 2023

Show notes

On July 11, 2002, a 45-year-old man is gunned down in the doorway of his home in Bridgeport, Ohio. As far as local law enforcement is concerned, it’s a tragic home invasion gone wrong and nothing more. But all is not as it seems. And for a small town, identifying the perpetrator and their motive is not as straightforward as it should be. As the weeks, months, and years pass, conflicting and conflated accounts, and outright lies put forward by witnesses cloud the truth. The killer remains on the loose, their identity obscured. However years later, the fight to unravel the truth and bring the victim’s assailant to account is not only renewed, but far from over. In episode 264, Jac and Alexis detail the baffling unsolved murder of John Cornelius McGhee, and the strength and courage of his daughter Madison who refuses to give up on finding justice for her father over 20 years later.

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

patreon.com/thefirstdegree

❤️ The Heavy Metal Project: theheavymetalproject.com

📸 Instagram: instagram.com/thefirstdegree

🕺 TikTok: tiktok.com/@thefirstdegreee

👤 Facebook: facebook.com/thefirstdegree

⚖️ On the Stand: (818) 446-6889

💩 Worst Thing You’ve Ever Done: (818) 446-6889

🤝 Advice: hello@thefirstdegreepodcast.com

🎟 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

BONUS: KILLING TIME: NOT TIM FERRISS Sep 07, 2023

Show notes

This week the girls and the ginger are back! One thing we will not be talking about is how we wake up and tackle each and every day! Spoiler alert! It doesn’t matter! You do you! We WILL be taking more listener submitted questions though! Also, on the stand: sponges, dosages, mixed snacks, and street tacos served on flour tortillas! Then! A worstie with a story we’ve dubbed the toilet paper caper!

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

patreon.com/thefirstdegree

❤️ The Heavy Metal Project: theheavymetalproject.com

📸 Instagram: instagram.com/thefirstdegree

🕺 TikTok: tiktok.com/@thefirstdegreee

👤 Facebook: facebook.com/thefirstdegree

⚖️ On the Stand: (818) 446-6889

💩 Worst Thing You’ve Ever Done: (818) 446-6889

🤝 Advice: hello@thefirstdegreepodcast.com

🎟 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

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