The First Degree

In the early morning hours of June 18, 1982, a 20-year-old mother vanishes from her night shift at a Harrisonburg, Virginia gas station, just moments after calling 911 for help. Police arrive within minutes, but she has already been taken. With no signs of struggle and no suspect identified, her case goes cold for decades. Then in 2023, a suspect emerges, bringing the investigation closer to answe...

It’s another week full of heists, weirdos, and conspiracy theories. George Clooney denies getting a BJ from Gislaine Maxwell, Lily Allen & the dude from Stranger Things are getting a divorce and she is airing ALL their dirty laundry out via lyrics on her new album and Luigi Mangione is a Swiftie??? We knew it. 🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on Patreon: pa...

On August 5, 2022, the peacefulness of a close-knit neighborhood is shattered in Butler Township, Ohio. A 39-year-old man goes on an armed rampage, killing a 41-year-old woman and her 15-year-old daughter before shooting dead an older couple. The most terrifying part of the senseless quadruple murder is that the victims were all shot somewhere they should have felt safe - in their own homes. The k...

Reality is the real horror. Every Monday, poet and paranormal obsessive Heidi Wong unearths the chilling true stories behind the world’s most terrifying legends. From haunted dolls to cursed houses, each episode of Twisted Tales reveals the disturbing real-life events that inspired horror’s biggest blockbusters and the ones too twisted to make it to screen. Some stories are stranger than fiction....

It’s been a wild, crazy, and random week. We are breaking down all the details of the Louvre jewelry heist (so chic, right??), telling the insane story of a Scottish gen z girl who faked a pregnancy and fooled her friends and family with a doll, and diving into Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell’s weird ass gross relationship (spoiler alert….he sucks). 🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus fu...

In October 2021, a 27-year-old woman is rebuilding her life on Long Island after leaving an abusive relationship. She has a new job, a safe place to stay, and plans for the future. But when her ex-boyfriend shows up and refuses to leave, her attempt to start over ends in tragedy. In episode 374, Jac and Alexis examine the murder of Meghan Kiefer, and how her mother Bevin has dedicated her life to...

Oh boy we’ve got a lot to catch up on this week! We’re giving you all the latest updates on D4VD, including a full timeline of everything that has happened in the last few years. Plus, not all heroes wear capes! Ian Watkins is gone from this world and burning in hell! 🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on Patreon: patreon.com/thefirstdegree 📸 Instagram: inst...

On March 7, 2000, a terrifying crime spree unfolds in the suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland. A 31-year-old man goes on a rampage, killing four people before holding a family of three hostage in a standoff lasting almost four days. Almost two weeks after the fuse was lit, the ordeal finally comes to an end. But it’s not without controversy and not before another life is lost in the process. In the aft...

This week on a very special Deep Dive, we are joined by psychic medium Jonathan Mark! We chat with him about why celebrities trust him to do their readings, how he discovered he was different and what he really thinks about the most controversial true crime cases. He is truly a gem of a human, and we hope you enjoy our conversation as much as we did! 🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plu...

The call from Washington changed everything. When Los Angeles detectives learned Kenneth Bianchi had been arrested for a double murder hundreds of miles away, the truth about the Hillside Strangler finally began to surface. But uncovering the killers was only the beginning. In episode 372, Jac and Lex take you inside the longest murder trial in American history.  A case marked by manipulations, bi...

It’s officially soooky szn, and what better way to kick it off than with a PROFESSIONAL WITCH! It’s a super special Deep Dive with Sarah Potter: tarot reader, psychic medium, and yes…pro witch. She helps us lean into our own powers to be the baddest witches we can be. 🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on Patreon: patreon.com/thefirstdegree 📸 Instagram: inst...

In late 1977, Los Angeles was terrorized by a string of brutal murders that the press dubbed the work of the “Hillside Strangler.” Victims were found in public places, bound and strangled, their bodies eerily posed. A witness spotted two men with one of the victims, sparking theories that the crimes were a coordinated effort. In episode 371, Jac and Lex delve into the story of the Hillside Strangl...

Get in loser we’re going to reveal the bleak, disgusting truths about your favorite fashion trends (hint: they all originated as ways to hide disease in the Medieval times)! Plus, a deep dive on belly buttons and what they say about your personality and life expectancy!  Oh, and how to prevent murder while taking a 💩. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For nearly ten years, investigators had no clue who killed seven people in the Palatine Brown’s Chicken on January 8th of 1993. They followed more than 4,800 leads and arrested several potential suspects, but nothing came of these efforts. The murders of Brown’s Chicken employees 16-year-old Michael Castro, 17-year-old Rico Solis, 31-year-old Tom Mennes, 32-year-old Marcus Nellsen, and 47-year-old...

Move over octopuses, eels are the REAL alien in town. Jac accidentally fell into the Bermuda Triangle and she’s sharing all of her eel facts with the class (spoiler alert….we don’t know ANYTHING about them???). Plus Dancing with the Sharks and a quick Blake vs Justin update! 🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on Patreon: patreon.com/thefirstdegree 📸 Instagra...

Shortly after 9 p.m. on January 8th of 1993, seven people begin the closing routine for the Brown’s Chicken & Pasta restaurant located in Palatine, Illinois. Of the seven people, five are employees: 16-year-old Michael Castro, 17-year-old Rico Solis, 31-year-old Tom Mennes, 32-year-old Marcus Nellsen, and 47-year-old Lupe Maldonado. The other two individuals are the owners: 49-year-old Lynn Ehlenf...

This week we’re going all over the place, so buckle up for the ride. Starting off with a dead body being found in a TikTok star’s Tesla trunk (but he’s been on tour so who put it there???), UFOs are all over the damn place, just released terrifying shirtless selfies of Bryan Kohberger, and Elizabeth Gilbert admitting to *almost* attempting to kill her partner but no one seems to care?? WHAT IS HAP...

On the afternoon of October 9, 2010, police in Hickory, North Carolina, receive a report of a missing 10-year-old girl. Everyone in her life is desperate for her safe return. But as the search continues, it emerges that she hasn’t been seen outside the house for some time. Almost a month after the youngster is reported missing, her remains are found in nearby woods, her cause of death unknown. Whe...

The title says it all. This week we are deep diving Unknown Caller: The High School Catfish documentary, because we’ve got THOUGHTS. We analyze every moment of the documentary, what was missing from it, and share how we really feel about Kendra. Plus, Luigi Mangione modeling for SHEIN?? 🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on Patreon: patreon.com/thefirstdegree...

When we first covered the disappearance of 39-year-old mother of four, Nikki Cheng Saelee McCain, in episode 330,  her case was still classified as a missing persons investigation. Months later, everything has changed. Authorities have reclassified the case as a homicide, Nikki’s husband Tyler has spoken publicly for the first time, and now he’s been arrested and charged with her murder. In this u...

It’s a variety show kinda week, and we’re covering all ends of the oddity spectrum for you. From Will Smith’s AI concert promo fail, to forensic otters, to getting knives stuck in your chest for 10 years, to the Burning Man Orgy Dome, to super powered humans who feel no pain, you’e bound to learn a new random useless fact or two to take with you this week! 🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per mon...

It began as an ordinary night in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Families were out, friends gathered, strangers hailed rides to get across town. But beneath the surface of that routine evening, something unthinkable was unfolding. A man who seemed to have everything together, a job, a family, no history of violence, suddenly broke from the life he knew. Over the course of just a few hours, a city was gripped...

It’s a week full of replacing eyeballs with teeth, con men “suicides”, and thousands of hotdogs flying through the air. Plus, Jenna Miscavige is officially on TikTok and answering all of our most burning questions about Scientology (like where the HELL is Shelly???). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Homicide detectives are trained to speak for the dead. They build cases from silence, piecing together fragments of lives they never truly knew. Rarely do they ever get to meet the people they fight for. But for one Los Angeles investigator, that changed in the fall of 1987, when a woman lived through the impossible. After being abducted, held captive for 48 hours, and shot in the head twice, she...

Have you ever wondered what the inside of Jeffrey Epstein’s New York brownstone looked like? Well have no fear! The photos have been leaked and we are going through and analyzing each and every detail. Plus, cursed labubus and banned baby names! 🎟 Catch up to FOUR bonus episodes per month plus full video episodes over on Patreon: patreon.com/thefirstdegree 📸 Instagram: instagram.com/thefirstdegre...