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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 263: Teresa and Rosanna Sep 06, 2023

Show notes

Late at night on Saturday, July 12th of 2008, 31-year-old Jacob Daniel Ethridge travelsto a section of Adams Avenue in Ogden, Utah, for the purpose of hiring a sex worker. There, Jacob meets 25-year-old Rosanna “Rosy” Marie Cruz. Jacob hires Rosy, accompanies her to an abandoned apartment building, and shoots her through the neck. Approximately 30 minutes later, as Jacob goes toward his vehicle to return home, Jacob meets 43-year-old Teresa Rene Tingey. Just as he had with Rosy, Jacob hires Teresa, travels with her to an isolated location, and executes her. When Jacob returns to his home in the early morning hours of Sunday, July 13th, he wakes his father and explains what he’s done. Together, the two men go to the police station where Jacob confesses. In episode 263, Jac and Alexis explore how a dangerous combination of anger issues, alcoholism, and psychotropic drugs could have contributed to one man making the decision to randomly murder two innocent women.

🎟 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: FROG PRETTY Aug 31, 2023

Show notes

This week the girls and the ginger return with a true crime tangent! For some reason Jac wants to talk about beauty in relation to animals. I know. You’ll have to watch to find out. On the stand this week: eating in the bathroom, hogging weights at the gym, MOANING at the gym? And asking someone’s schedule without informing them why. Then! A worstie with some ingenious insurance insight.

🎟 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 262: Tyler Spann Aug 30, 2023

Show notes

On April 16, 2010, a 20-year-old man and his friend are on their way home when they pull a prank on a neighbor in Venice, Florida. Things quickly turn ugly - and deadly - when the unarmed young man is shot by his neighbor during what police describe as an altercation where the older man feared for his life. The victim’s family and friends are understandably devastated. But as news of the shooting ripples throughout the community, the public is outraged when they learn not only who the shooter is, but what transpires when his version of events isn’t as clear cut as everyone is led to believe. In episode 262, Jac and Alexis detail the shocking death of Tyler Spann at the hands of off duty deputy sheriff Carlos Verdoni, and the bigger question of how can we trust that the people employed to protect and serve us, won’t actually kill us instead?

🎟 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: UNSOLICITED ADVICE Aug 24, 2023

Show notes

It’s time yet again to ask a girl, ask a ginger! This week we’re taking phone call submissions and doing our dangdest to dole out advice most of you never asked for. On the stand this week: slurpees, close-sitting, and non-emergency siren usage! Then! A room-raiding worstie!

🎟 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 261: Steve Fason Aug 23, 2023

Show notes

Late at night on Saturday, February 8th of 2020, 57-year-old Steve Ray Fason meets 22-year-old Sandra Marie Rappold for a discussion at his home in Bigelow, Arkansas. For weeks, Sandra has been hounding Steve by texting him, calling him, and showing up at his house uninvited. Sandra is convinced that Steve has committed crimes he had been acquitted of years ago. Finally, Steve decides to give Sandra what she wants: a conversation. The next day, Steve’s lifeless body is discovered at a neighboring business’s dumping grounds. Someone has stabbed Steve to death and burned his house down to destroy the evidence. When an anonymous tipster tells the authorities that Sandra is the culprit, Sandra immediately confesses to everything. Two months later, a second perpetrator is arrested. But, to this day, Steve’s family believes that more people were involved in Steve’s death. In episode 261, Jac and Alexis untangle the intimate relationships, alleged shady business dealings, and potential corruption surrounding the murder of Steve Fason.

🎟 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: THE FOURTH DIMENSION Aug 17, 2023

Show notes

This week the girls and the ginger are once again asking you to reach for those tinfoil hats and join us on our quest to find extra-terrestrials! We’re breaking down some of the interesting UFO news we’ve heard recently! On the stand this week: Incandescent bulbs, uber sermons, premature table-clearing, and gin martinis! Then! A worstie trashes the place!

🎟 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 260: Phillip Brewer and Jody Fortuna Aug 16, 2023

Show notes

In September of 2016, 33-year-old Phillip Brewer, 38-year-old Jody Fortuna, and 37-year-old Michael Montano gather at a bar in Gillette, Wyoming. Years ago, the three childhood friends grew up near the same small Wyoming town. At some points in their lives, these men considered themselves like brothers. Now, as adults, the three men spend time together whenever they can. Drinking beer, going on fishing trips, and spending time outdoors. They all appear successful, with good jobs and caring families. But, on this particular September night, things take a turn for the worse. The next day, Michael’s girlfriend frantically wakes him up. Something has happened—something bad. A month later, in October of 2016, Phillip and Jody’s dismembered bodies are discovered on Michael’s properties, and Michael is arrested for murdering his two close friends. In episode 260, Jac and Alexis break down the facts surrounding the heinous murders of childhood friends Phillip Brewer and Jody Fortuna

🎟 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

PATREON EXCLUSIVE: MISSING: LAUREN SPIERER Aug 15, 2023

Show notes

After a night of partying with friends, a 20-year-old college student goes missing just before sunrise. There are thousands of tips and theories, but scant evidence. Police hit a wall, but not before the investigation splinters into many directions: the boyfriend, the friends, convicted criminals, a local biker gang and a suspicious vehicle that could be key to cracking the case. What will it take to finally crack this case?

🎟 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: KEVIN GOES TO MARS Aug 10, 2023

Show notes

This week the girls and the ginger return for a little of this, a little of that. We’ve spent the last month or so on the road and dealing with the craziness of the LISK case, so this week we’re taking some time to fill everybody in on what we’ve been up to! On the stand: space probe names, wedge salads, sitting and looking, and handing the dinner bill to the man! Then! A worstie laughs in the face of authority!

🎟 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 259: Jhorden Clay Aug 09, 2023

Show notes

On May 3, 2023, 911 is called to respond to a 4 year old boy in Portland, Oregon, who’s unconscious after suffering a seizure. But it’s clear to first responders and medical staff that the boy has suffered significant physical trauma and neglect resulting from abuse. The youngster sadly dies in hospital from his injuries, despite his family’s hopes he would recover and pull through. When police begin investigating how this tragedy has come to pass, the terrible truth quickly emerges. The alleged perpetrator has a complex background of their own which only adds to the heartbreak and confusion everyone in the victim's life is feeling. In episode 259, Jac and Alexis detail the sickening alleged murder of Jhorden Clay, whose young life was taken far too soon, sadly making him yet another statistic in a brutal crime which in so many ways was entirely preventable.

🎟 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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