The First Degree - Alexis Linkletter, Jac Vanek

Latest Episodes:

DEEP DIVE: MACKENZIE SHIRILLA May 28, 2026

Show notes

Today we’re deep diving everything that the Netflix documentary The Crash missed about the Mackenzie Shirilla case. From scouting out LA modeling agencies while in the hospital, to jail house calls about Kim Kardashian, to selling feet pics, there is a LOT you don’t know about Mackenzie Shirilla and we are ready to discuss it all.

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Episode 404: Sons Of Sam, Part 2 May 27, 2026

Show notes

In episode 404, Jac and Alexis are joined by Josh Zeman for Part 2 of their coverage on the infamous Son of Sam murders—and the man whose relentless obsession with uncovering the truth behind the official narrative ultimately consumed him.

As the investigation spirals deeper into alleged cult connections, conflicting witness accounts, and lingering questions that have haunted the case for decades, one unsettling possibility remains: Was it really the work of one man? Or were there Sons of Sam?

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DEEP DIVE: MEDIA GHOULS May 21, 2026

Show notes

What the hell even happened this week?! We’re diving into it all: Luigi Mangione updates, the James Charles x Gypsy Rose crossover you’d never expect, the SKIMS cocaine bust, the alien files, and an impromptu discussion about the Netflix doc The Crash (which ps is your homework to watch for next week’s Deep Dive). Another crazy week for the books.

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Episode 403: Sons Of Sam, Part 1 May 20, 2026

Show notes

In the early hours of July 29th, 1976, an 18-year-old woman sits in her car outside her house chatting with a friend following a night out in New York City. The aspiring emergency medic’s life is brutally cut short when a man suddenly fires through the window, killing the young woman. Her friend is wounded and survives, but over the coming year, five more people will lose their lives to the man initially dubbed ‘the .44 caliber killer’. The city lives in the grip of sheer terror until August 1977, when 24-year-old David Berkowitz is arrested. He soon confesses and later pleads guilty, sentenced to life in prison. But questions remain. Not everyone believes there was one killer. And for one reporter, the case becomes a decades-long obsession. In episode 403, Jac and Alexis discuss the infamous ‘Son of Sam’ serial murders, and how one man’s relentless persistence in questioning the official narrative to uncover the truth completely and utterly consumed him.

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DEEP DIVE: EPSTEIN STILL DIDN’T KILL HIMSELF May 14, 2026

Show notes

It’s a bizarre variety show kind of week over here on the deep dive! We’re talking Epstein “suicide note”, Brittany Furlan x Ronnie Radke catfish scandal, Alex Murdaugh’s convictions being overturned, the pop up Epstein file museum in NYC, and Michael Jackson’s very weird private jet rider (spoiler alert: the dude lovedddd KFC).

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Episode 402: Stephen Jacobo May 13, 2026

Show notes

In November 2022, an 18 year old attends a birthday celebration with his family before heading to a party with friends in Mesa, Arizona. Just hours later, in the early morning of November 6, he is shot inside an apartment and left behind as others flee the scene. As police begin their investigation, witnesses point to one person, but the path to accountability proves far more complicated than anyone expected. In episode 402, Jac and Alexis examine the murder of Stephen Benito Jacobo, the legal battle that followed, and how his family continues to fight to honor his life and protect others from experiencing the same loss.

Thanks to Bellesa for sponsoring the show!EVERYONE who signs up wins a FREE WhisperVibeTM OR a FREE Rose toy with any WhisperTM order! https://www.bboutique.co/vibe/thefirstdegree-podcast

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DEEP DIVE: KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE May 07, 2026

Show notes

There is so much shit going on this week that we don’t even know where to begin. Starting off with updates on Blake vs Justin, D4VD, the Hantavirus (plssss not another pandemic), and did Chandra Levy know about the UFOS?! THen we dive into the craziest case you’ve never heard of: the Biffle Family. It’s a wild ride.

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Episode 401: Austin Kanuch May 06, 2026

Show notes

In September 2023, a 39-year-old man is attacked inside his home in the early morning hours while his family sleeps nearby. He is pronounced dead at the scene, the victim of a single, targeted act of violence, and surveillance footage captures an unknown individual arriving and leaving on a bike. As the investigation continues, no arrests are made, and his family is left searching for answers, trying to understand who would want to harm someone they love. In episode 401, Jac and Alexis examine the unsolved murder of Austin Kanuch, and a mother’s unwavering love as she continues to fight for her son.

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DEEP DIVE: GET HIM TO THE CREEP Apr 30, 2026

Show notes

This week we have updates on the DV4D case (an arrest has finally been made thank GOD), finding out who really built Zorro ranch, there’s somehow a second Gypsy Rose, Haley Beck’s family is even more messed up than we thought, and we dig into how bizarre Get Him to the Greek was looking back on it (Diddy playing…Diddy???)

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Episode 400: Father Robert Hoeffner Apr 29, 2026

Show notes

On January 28th, 2024, a 76-year-old man and his 69-year-old sister are murdered at their home in Palm Bay, Florida. The killer flees, engaging the police in a dramatic shootout that ends in more tragedy, with additional lives lost and officers risking their lives to bring an end to the carnage. The shooting of the initial male victim, a retired priest, stuns locals, who mourn his loss. How could a well-respected pillar of the community become the victim of such senseless violence? As the investigation continues, dark and disturbing secrets are exposed about the man everyone thought they knew. The shocking revelations cast a whole new light not just on the motivation behind his death, but the complicity of a system that actively protects predators. In episode 400, Jac and Alexis detail the case of Father Robert Hoeffner and discuss how, when evil goes unpunished in powerful institutions, it’s the victims who continue to suffer as their alleged abusers walk free.

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