The First Degree

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 episod...

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 Pe...

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 wh...

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 nation...

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...

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 expl...

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:...

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:...

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 happene...

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 captu...

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. 🎟 Ca...

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 bonu...

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. 🎟...

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 m...

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 be...

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 lea...

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 cr...

When a fire breaks out at a Texas drive-in theater, everyone assumes it was an accident. But once the firemen entered the ticket booth, they learned the truth— the fire had been started intentionally in an attempt to conceal a horrific crime. In episode 62, Jac, Alexis and Billy dig into the details of the case, the unexplainable events that happened in the days that followed, and speak to two mem...

On the morning of June 28th, 1999, Darlene Anderson failed to show up to work. Darlene always showed up to work. After a massive search, police made an awful discovery that led them to believe that she may have crossed paths with a serial killer. On episode 61, Jac, Alexis and Billy explore the decades of violence inflicted by Roger Fain. They'll discuss the many cases he's been linked to, the tac...

25-year-old Jaymie Adams went out to meet a friend in Oklahoma City. When the pregnant mother of four failed to return home, the community watched as a bizarre case unfolded, and a likely suspect emerged. On episode 60 of The First Degree, Jac, Alexis and Billy examine the crime, the investigation and explore how personal biases possess the potential to ruin lives.   Stamps.com - get a 4-week tria...

The body of a young woman is found under a bridge in Birmingham Alabama. She had been stabbed and sexually mutilated. Her murder sent shock waves through the bible belt community, this was 1986, and rumors of a connection to witchcraft and devil worship spread through the town. On episode 59, Jac, Alexis and Billy delve into the evidence, theories, the investigation, and discuss the impact this wo...

Glen Rogers charmed his way into Linda Price’s life at the Mississippi state fair in the autumn is 1995–and in less than three weeks she would be found murdered in the bathtub of the apartment they shared. The police soon learned that Linda was not the first beautiful redhead killed by the man come to be known Casanova Killer. And she wouldn’t be the last. The hunt for Rogers was an urgent multi s...

On a fall evening at the Mississippi State Fair, Linda Price was approached a blonde stranger named Glen Rogers. He was charming, mysterious, and exactly what Linda had been looking for. But what started out as a storybook romance quickly turned into a nightmare, when Linda couldn't be reached by her family on Halloween night. On episode 57, Jac, Alexis and Billy speak with Linda's daughter Chryst...

On Sept. 10, 2010, Marti Hill was savagely attacked and left for dead in the basement of her Kansas home. On episode 55 of The First Degree, Jac, Alexis, and Billy speak with Marti’s daughter Mackenzie, and try to understand why her mother was targeted, and if it’s possible to keep ourselves safe if no clear motive can be detected. Right now, FD listeners can get a special offer that includes a 4-...

On October 3rd 1995, 100 million Americans watched as a jury declared OJ Simpson not guilty of the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman. The verdict rattled faith in the justice system, stained popular culture, and the strategies implemented by Simpson’s defense team heightened police distrust. The country has (seemingly) moved on, but the emotional ruins left in the w...