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Jac Vanek

Alexis Linkletter

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!)

The First Degree

In October 2002, a 25-year-old mother is preparing to leave Valdosta, Georgia, with her 3-year-old son and move back home to be closer to family. She has accepted a new job, packed up her apartment, and is just days away from starting a new chapter. But before the move can happen, both mother and son vanish without a trace. As loved ones search for answers, they are met with more questions than explanations. Over the years, witnesses come forward, leads emerge, and theories circulate, but the truth about what happened remains unknown. In episode 409, Jac and Alexis examine the disappearances of Paula Wade and Brandon Wade, the investigation that followed, and the family’s decades-long fight to bring them home.

🎟 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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Episode 409: Paula & Brandon Wade

We’ve got two very important topics to talk to you about today. One, hackers revealed Peter Theil’s “list”, aka the people who meet up in black cloaks at 3am and chat about how they’re gonna make money while they ruin the world. And second, Alexis is officially an author! We talk about her latest trip to NYC for Rex Heuermann’s sentencing and what we can expect with Between the Devil and the Tide.

🎟 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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DEEP DIVE: PETER THEIL’S SUPERVILLAIN LIST

In July 1990, a 13-year-old girl disappears in the early hours after sneaking out to see her twin sister in Killeen, Texas. When she is reported missing, police quickly classify her as a runaway and the case receives little to no investigation, leaving her family without answers and her case to fade into obscurity. But as the years pass, a troubling pattern emerges - one involving abuse allegations, inconsistent witness accounts, and a system that failed to properly follow through. With every new detail, the question of what really happened that night becomes more urgent, and more complicated. Decades later, her younger sister begins digging into the truth, uncovering long-buried information and reigniting an investigation that had gone cold for years. In episode 408, Jac and Lex explore the disappearance of Deanna Merryfield, and her sister Melissa’s relentless fight to finally uncover what happened to her.

🎟 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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Episode 408: Deanna Merryfield

We are concluding our 2 part series on the missing and murdered scientists today, and it gets more bizarre the farther you fall down the rabbit hole. Why these specific scientists being targeted, what did they know that the powers that be wanted destroyed, and will we ever get any answers?

🎟 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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DEEP DIVE: MISSING & MURDERED SCIENTISTS, PART 2

In May 2023, an 18-year-old is preparing for graduation, planning for college, and looking forward to the future in Mesa, Arizona. But after spending the night with friends, he is shot and killed inside a teammate's home just weeks before receiving his diploma. As investigators work to determine what happened, his family is left navigating a case filled with difficult questions and a justice process that proves far more complicated than expected. In episode 407, Jac and Alexis examine the death of Jeremiah Aviles, the legal battle that followed, and the legacy his family has built in his honor.

🎟 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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Episode 407: Jeremiah Aviles

Today, we’re sharing a preview of The Final Hours, a true crime podcast from Crime House, powered by PAVE Studios.

Hosted by Sarah Turney and Kourtney Nichole, The Final Hours examines the moments just before a person disappears. The routines. The timelines. And the small details that often get overlooked, until it’s too late.

Sarah is an advocate for missing and murdered victims whose sister disappeared in 2001. Kourtney is a true crime storyteller and investigator who witnessed firsthand how crime can change a family forever. Together, they bring lived experience into every case, looking not only at what happened, but what led up to it.

Listen to and follow The Final Hours on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes are out every Monday.

Listen and follow here: https://pod.link/1872821250
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Presenting: The Final Hours with Sarah Turney and Kourtney Nichole

Get ready for another wild week of headlines. Did you ever submit your DNA to 23 and Me or Ancestry.com? Well, the CIA might be digging through yours right now to see if it contains extraterrestrial DNA, sorry! Also, Mackenzie Shirilla is texting her dad about “warm milk”, Charli D’Amelio’s parents are stealing her money, a contestant on Love Island looks like Chris Watts, plus so much more!

🎟 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

DEEP DIVE: A NEW BOMBSHELL HAS ENTERED THE VILLA

On the morning of February 1, 2008, a man calls his 20-year-old daughter in Charlotte, North Carolina after receiving a disturbing phone call urging him to check on her. But when her father walks inside, he is greeted with a sight no parent should ever have to witness. The young woman’s killer is apprehended within hours. But what emerges in the days and weeks after the slaying about the victim’s life behind closed doors shocks and appalls everyone who thought they knew her best. And when the killer is identified, this just raises more concerning questions. In episode 406, Jac and Alexis detail the devastating murder of Simrit Kaur Gill at the hands of Amandeep Brar and explore the heartbreak of realizing that, despite how well we think we know people, sometimes we never really do. Until it's too late.

🎟 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

Episode 406: Simrit Gill

You asked for it….get ready for the ultimate deep dive digging into the over 13 missing and murdered scientists over the past few years. We are starting with the most infamous, disturbing, and head scratching case of Amy Eskridge. Get ready to go down the rabbit hole with us. It’s a wild ride.

🎟 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

DEEP DIVE: MISSING AND MURDERED SCIENTISTS

On June 23rd, 2023, a 39-year-old woman messages her mom asking if she can come to her home because she doesn’t feel safe where she is staying. Unfortunately, her mom is out of town but she tells her daughter she can come over when she is back on the 25th. However, the woman never shows up that day. Even more concerning, in the days that follow, no one could get in contact with her and her social media is completely silent. With no help from law enforcement, the woman’s mother takes matters into her own hands and investigates her disappearance. In episode 405, Jac and Alexis explore the disappearance of Amber Arnett, and just how far her mother Marty is willing to go to try to find out what happened to her daughter.

🎟 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

Presenting: The Final Hours with Sarah Turney and Kourtney Nichole

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