The First Degree

In August 2017, a newlywed is found shot to death inside a hotel room in Athens, Georgia, while on a road trip with her husband. As investigators begin piecing together her final hours, they uncover text messages, surveillance footage, and other evidence that paint a disturbing picture of what happened. Yet despite a conviction, her story receives very little public attention, leaving many to reme...

Reddit is an endless archive of humanity’s most disturbing, bizarre, and deeply human stories. If you love The First Degree, you are going to love CRIMES OF REDDIT with Alexis and Sabrina Deana-Roga from Two Girls One Ghosts. Every Tuesday, one host brings a set of true-crime stories while the other reacts in real time with no prep, no spoilers asking the questions on everyone’s mind. They swap ro...

Today's episode is the Deep Dive x The First Degree Book Club crossover you didn't know you needed. We're sitting down with bestselling author Tom O'Neill to talk about CHAOS: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties. What began as a routine magazine assignment became a twenty-year investigation that challenged the official narrative of the Manson murders and uncovered a web...

This week on The First Degree, we're doing something a little different. Consider this episode your CHAOS crash course. Tom O'Neill's groundbreaking book CHAOS: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties has sparked years of conversation, debate, and controversy. But with this week's Deep Dive featuring an in-depth conversation with Tom himself, we wanted to make sure everyone...

This week Jac is taking you on a very niche deep dive, so buckle up. We’re going all the way down the manosphere rabbit hole via a “hot” viral bakery owner from Phoenix and it’s a wild ride. Plus updates on the current D4VD hearings happening this week. 🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on Patreon: patreon.com/thefirstdegree 📸 Instagram: instagram.com/thefi...

In October 2021, the owner of a beloved dive bar in Everett, Washington is arrested on multiple counts of sexual assault, sending shockwaves through the tight-knit group of patrons that once considered the establishment a second home. As more survivors come forward, investigators uncover a decades-long pattern of abuse, allegations of drugged drinks, child sexual abuse material, and a growing list...

Tin foil hats on! Today’s episode, we go down the rabbit hole of Tulsi Gabbard’s brother being arrested for luring kids into his hotel room with candy, being raised in a cult, their connection to Jim Morrison, and how she quite possibly might still be mind controlled by MKUltra??? Also, the latest Tyler Robinson updates, including a bizarre confession from Ben Shapiro. 🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus epi...

On July 29, 2019, police respond to a 911 call from a hotel in Dallas, Texas. There are noise complaints about some guests, but hotel security is reluctant to intervene before police arrive. When the door to room 228 finally opens, officers find a man covered in blood and a 32-year-old woman shot dead on the floor. The man fights back against police before being taken to the hospital, as authoriti...

Tyler Robinson’s hearing has officially started and it is a shit show already. We are discussing the highlights, the plot holes, and the fake news getting thrown around the internet, because what you’re being told is no where close to the truth. Plus, updates on Haley Beck and glitches in the matrix. 🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on Patreon: patreon.com/...

In June 2006, a 17-year-old spends the evening volunteering with a local haunted house before making plans to spend the next day at the lake with friends. But when those friends arrive to pick him up the following morning, they find the back door of his home kicked in and discover him shot to death in his bedroom. Investigators quickly determine that the killing was targeted, yet they can't identi...

This week, Alexis is giving you the inside scoop on all of the latest LISK updates, including what she saw at the sentencing hearing, never heard stories, and her involvement in the LISK Peacock documentary, The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets. 🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on Patreon: patreon.com/thefirstdegree 📸 Instagram: instagram.com/thefirstd...

On October 5, 2018, a 26-year-old man disappears while on a work assignment close to Orogrande, Idaho. The energetic, ambitious production assistant and aspiring film producer is last seen on a TV shoot with his crew before running away into the distance, never to be seen again. A search is quickly mounted for the young man, but despite law enforcement's efforts, no trace of him is found. In the a...

Today is a bit of a medley episode, because there’s just so much to talk about. We’re hitting the headlines: FBI confirms the Nancy Guthrie ransom letters are fake, Tom Sandoval getting into trouble yet again, Love Island is a microcosm of the state of the world today, and what the hell is happening over at Mount Shasta??? 🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over o...

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 ex...

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....

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 allegation...

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/thefirstdeg...

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 proce...

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 disa...

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! 🎟...

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...

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/thefirs...

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...

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. 🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episode...

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,...