The First Degree

There’s a lot to talk about this week! Since the Blue Origin fiasco, people have been digging up Katy Perry’s past of stealing a house from a convent of nuns and one of the nuns dropping dead IN COURT, plus we dive into a dead guy making music with his brain cells post mortem, the conspiracy theory of cemeteries (where are all the bodies ACTUALLY buried), and Prince Charles playing a carrot harmonica. Plus Blake & Ryan updates (spoiler alert: Taylor is getting subpoenaed!)

Transcribed - Published: 24 April 2025

In March 2013, a 37-year-old California woman suddenly stops calling her mother and daughter, who live on the East Coast. Her family has no idea that just weeks earlier, she had moved in with a man she’d quickly grown afraid of. When her phone stops working and a check from her mother goes uncashed, concern sets in. As detectives begin looking into her disappearance, they uncover a disturbing pattern involving other women who died after crossing paths with the same man Molly had been living with. In episode 348, Jac and Alexis break down the disappearance and suspected murder of Molly Franquemont, the investigation that followed, and the unsettling details that reveal she had been unknowingly living with a serial killer.

Transcribed - Published: 23 April 2025

This week we were blessed by the cringe gods for giving us the gift of the absolute disaster of the Blue Origin trip! We dive into the nitty gritty of the controversies, dive deep into the conspiracies, and have a little chuckle at Jess Bezos eating shit. Who knew it was possible for celebrities to be THIS tone deaf!

Transcribed - Published: 17 April 2025

Four days after Megan Barroso disappeared, another woman was attacked. This time in broad daylight. Then came a break—an arrest that had nothing to do with murder or rape. A petty burglary. A bag in the trash. A call to the police. And suddenly, everything changed. In Part 2 of our coverage on the Simi Valley Rapist, Jac and Alexis follow the unraveling of the mystery: the evidence hidden in plain sight, the roommates who unknowingly lived with a predator, and the moment police discovered who had been behind the mask all along. The truth would shock a city—and reveal just how many lives had come terrifyingly close to the edge.

Transcribed - Published: 16 April 2025

This week we are deconstructing Chris Watt’s new letters to God blaming his mistress for him murdering his wife and children, the return of the Direwolf (can we bring back the T-Rex next??), Russel Brand blaming his new allegations on an attack from the Deep State, and can Mountain Dew actually predict the future??

Transcribed - Published: 10 April 2025

Between 1996 and 2001, a series of violent attacks terrorized the seemingly idyllic community of Simi Valley, California. Women were being terrorized in their homes. Families were jolted from sleep by the sounds of screams—and silence. There was no pattern. No suspect. No name. In episode 346, Jac and Lex trace the early crimes of the man the press would eventually dub the Simi Valley Rapist. And just when the community began to breathe again, a bright, beloved 20-year-old college student vanished without a trace. The search for her would reignite the hunt for a man no one had ever seen—but who was always watching.

Transcribed - Published: 9 April 2025

We’re back again breaking down this week’s wildest headlines. From new Diddy claims implicating Gloria Estefan, Beyonce, and LeBron James, to Virginia Giuffre’s bizarre IG post claiming she was hit by a school bus, to even more Justin Bieber updates, to an Elizabeth Holmes x Nathan Fielder collab?? It’s been a weird week, that’s for sure.

Transcribed - Published: 3 April 2025

On February 9, 2023, police conduct a welfare check at a home in a neighborhood of Oak Grove, Louisiana. Inside the residence, they find a 43-year-old business owner, wife, and mother dead from a gunshot wound. The woman’s husband is devastated, as is the rest of the victim’s family. After a speedy investigation, the shooting is soon ruled a suicide. But when the woman’s family uncovers glaring holes in the investigation and learns that corners have been cut, things start to look extremely questionable, and it emerges that not everyone close to the victim has been adequately eliminated in the rush to declare the death a suicide. In episode 345, Jac and Alexis detail the heartbreaking suspicious death of Crystal Deniece McCrory Jones, the many lingering questions focusing on the local sheriff’s department’s involvement, and why Crystal’s loved ones continue to fight for a full and thorough investigation into her death.

Transcribed - Published: 2 April 2025

This week we’re diving into the dark side of AI, technology, and the existential dream of trying to live forever. We’re talking about implanting memories into murderers, doing head transplants on billionaires, and that weird dude who thinks he’s never gonna die. And then of course, we have Blake vs Justin updates, and Justin Bieber’s cryptic IG post. It’s a lot!

Transcribed - Published: 27 March 2025

On the morning of November 12th of 1991, 41-year-old Janice Aschraft Lillie left her volunteer work at Belle Chasse High School to go to her office in Gretna, Louisiana. Janice’s husband, 41-year-old Norman Lillie, needs her help collecting back rent from their tenants. The couple co-manage and co-own several apartments in the Greater New Orleans metropolitan area. Around 10:15 a.m., Janice arrives at the office. Two hours later, Janice’s body is discovered lying behind her desk. Someone stabbed her more than ten times and left her to die. For years, Gretna police struggled to investigate Janice’s homicide. Despite interviewing more than 180 people, they had little to go on. Then, in 1995, the murder weapon was discovered and several arrests were made in relation to Janice’s case. However, members of Janice’s family think the individuals arrested, indicted, and sentenced for Janice’s murder weren’t even involved. In episode 344, Jac and Alexis detail the strange events and evidence surrounding Janice’s killing, including her then-husband’s suspicious affair with a 25-year-old tenant.

Transcribed - Published: 26 March 2025

This week we’re talking about the Ghost Adventurers murder for hire plot that just got 10x wilder, Ryan Reynolds throwing Blake Lively under the bus, and we’re just getting to the tip of the ice berg of Hailey Bieber’s obsession with Justin & Selena and how it might even be darker than anyone thinks.

Transcribed - Published: 20 March 2025

On May 8th, 2016, a successful 46-year-old business manager and CPA is sitting an FBI polygraph test in Los Angeles, California. The well-respected executive partner with numerous high-profile, world-famous clients from the entertainment industry has it all. A happy marriage, three kids, and a career trajectory where the sky is the limit. But it’s all about to come crashing down in a very public and life-changing way due to addiction, insecurity, and denial. In episode 343, Jac and Alexis detail the life and crimes of Jonathan Schwartz, and how his descent into addiction and hubris not only destroyed the life and career he’d worked so hard for, but how his immediate remorse propelled him to a place of personal growth, healing, and self-forgiveness, with the ultimate aim of finding redemption through helping others who are now where he once was.

Transcribed - Published: 19 March 2025

This week we’re diving the murder for hire plan to kill the star of Ghost Adventurers, the sad truth of Gene Hackman’s death, Blake Lively being cringe as hell at SXSW, and the story about a mom who is convinced her son was murdered and his body was sold to the Bodies Exhibit in Vegas. It was a dark week, people.

Transcribed - Published: 13 March 2025

Rumors and conflicting information are rife in what appears to be an unsolvable case. But years later, when the killer is finally identified and convicted at trial, it’s not the end of the story. In episode 342, Jac and Alexis detail the haunting murder of Anastasia Elizabeth WitbolsFeugen, and how some people close to the case remain convinced that all is possibly not as it seems when it comes to the evidence.

Transcribed - Published: 12 March 2025

This week we’re diving deep into the weeks dark headlines: Luigi Mangione’s alleged sex tape scandal, Gene Hackman’s bizarre death, Blake Lively hiring an ex-CIA agent for her crisis PR, and Casey Anthony joining TikTok like nothing ever happened???

Transcribed - Published: 6 March 2025

On October 22, 1997, an 18-year-old high school graduate is shot to death in a cemetery near Independence, Missouri. Her family is heartbroken, but sadly, she is not the only victim. Less than 72 hours later, someone close to the young woman then takes their own life. As the months drag on, the police investigation takes a series of twists and turns as suspicion focuses on a complex web of teenage relationships involving those closest to the victim. The case seems to stall until 3 years later a suspect is named. But is he The Real Killer? In episode 341, Jac and Alexis detail the haunting murder of Anastasia Elizabeth WitbolsFeugen.

Transcribed - Published: 5 March 2025

We’re coming back at you with this week’s dark headlines! We’re talking Diddy’s lawyer quitting (saying “under no circumstances can I continue”), Kim K allegedly having satanic art in her house, and Fyre Fest is BACK BABY! And of course we’ve got the Blake & Justin updates, including how Jenny Slate somehow twisted being offered $15,000 into a bad thing????

Transcribed - Published: 27 February 2025

On November 26, 1981, four men were killed and two others were wounded in a shooting massacre on Thanksgiving night in Chicago, Illinois. The murders make headlines as being the worst multiple slayings in the city in four years. The son of one of the men whose life was stolen is our guest on this very special episode of The First Degree. Four members of his family were taken in foul swoop, and he takes us through the heart breaking aftermath of that loss and the continued injustice following the release of the men convicted of the murders.

Transcribed - Published: 26 February 2025

MAKE IT STOPPPP! We’re back for another Blake vs Justin update, because the bombs just don’t stop dropping. We break down Blake & Ryan’s first public appearance at SNL’s 50th Anniversary (what the hell was THAT??), the new HR complaints that every news outlet refused to report on, and Blake’s updated suit that kindaaaa seems like it was written by Ryan Reynolds himself??

Transcribed - Published: 20 February 2025

In the early hours of September 6, 1994, a 21-year-old woman is found murdered in her apartment in Bakersfield, California. Just days earlier, she’d been hanging out with friends, laughing and talking. Now, her friends are left to question how someone could have taken her life so brutally—and why. Despite the tragedy, there’s no full investigation into her case, leaving her close friend to take matters into his own hands. What he uncovers during his personal investigation shocks him—and continues to haunt him to this day. In episode 339, Jac and Alexis explore the haunting murder of Stacy Renee Shaw, the unsettling details her friend Brian uncovers, and how a case with more questions than answers still remains unsolved.

Transcribed - Published: 19 February 2025

Another week, another round of messed up and delusional celeb shenanigans. We bring you the Blake vs Justin updates, Taylor & Travis Super Bowl conspiracies, Armie Hammer eating more body parts, & Allison Holker (allegedly) writing fake Amazon reviews for her new memoir? These people truly are the gift that keeps on giving.

Transcribed - Published: 13 February 2025

On July 25, 2015, a man went to check on his neighbors, a married couple living in the suburbs of Phoenix, Arizona. When the 43-year-old husband opens the door, the neighbor outside recoils in horror when he sees the man has a severed arm. Realizing that a much more gruesome scene far beyond anyone’s nightmares lies inside the home, the neighbor calls police. When they arrive they find the man has not only gouged out his eye, but that his 49-year-old wife is dead. As investigators try to piece together the events leading to such incomprehensible violence, even the most seasoned of detectives are shocked at what’s occurred. In episode 338, Jac and Alexis detail the heart breaking murder, and question to what extent such unimaginable incidents are truly preventable, if at all.

Transcribed - Published: 12 February 2025

Another week, another Blake vs. Justin vs. Ryan deep dive, and this one is a DOOZY.  Justin Baldoni’s lawyer followed through with his promise and launched THELAWSUITINFO.COM detailing the updated complaint as well as a 198 page timeline of events.  We’re going through all of the highlights and break down everything you need to know, including some of the cringiest texts known to man.

Transcribed - Published: 6 February 2025

In episode 337 Jac and Alexis conclude with part 2 of the Gilbert Gutjahr case. While the case is technically adjudicated, questions may always loom about the driving force behind the murder itself. And information revealed during the court proceedings leads to startling revelations. This episode explores so much more than a shocking crime, they delve into family dynamics, how they shape who we become, and how to escape if needed.

Transcribed - Published: 5 February 2025

It Ends With Us NEVER ENDS, and this week we’re learning that the ultimate villain might be none other than…Ryan Reynolds?? We’re going through all of the latest bombshells including why Colleen Hoover REALLY deleted her social media, evidence that Ryan Reynolds might be responsible for all of this mess, It Ends With Us Coloring Book???, exposing the NYT smear campaign, and Taylor Swift finally enters the chat (and it looks like Khaleesi might have lost one of her dragons).

Transcribed - Published: 30 January 2025

In the early morning hours of January 22, 2021, 91-year-old Gilbert John Gutjahr was found severely wounded in his Bethany, Oregon home. When deputies arrive to help the retired public servant, he dies. Within hours, Gilbert’s stepson was arrested on a second degree murder charge. Jake’s cousin told officers that she witnessed Jake kill Gilbert. In episode 336, Jac and Alexis explore this case which at first seemed open and shut, but the true complexities had yet to be revealed, exposing a tangled web of dysfunction within a family.

Transcribed - Published: 29 January 2025

In news interviews Justin Baldoni’s lawyer promised to “sue Blake Lively into oblivion,” and those were not empty threats. Tinfoil hats on because the gals are taking you through the highlights of his scathing 179 page lawsuit. And brace yourselves because Lively’s famous bestie has been roped in too.

Transcribed - Published: 23 January 2025

Peter Nygard is one of the world’s most reviled sexual predators who you may have never heard of. For decades the Canadian fashion mogul intimidated his victims into silence and paid to bury accusations made against him while trafficking underage girls to his Bahamian party mansion on his private jet.  Emmy winning journalist and anchor Ashleigh Banfield grew up with Nygard as the uncle of childhood best friend, and knew him as “Uncle Peter.”On this very special episode of The First Degree, Asheigh Banfield takes Alexis and Jac through the shocking story, which led Ashleigh to release her own podcast Drop Dead Serious: Uncle Peter  to explore and recount the last 40 years of Nygard’s crimes.

Transcribed - Published: 22 January 2025

There is way too much shit going on this week to pick one topic to dive into, so this week we’re discussing the darkest headlines from the past few days. Armie Hammer’s return to Hollywood (like is cannibalism just….okay now???), Diddy’s mom allegedly having freak offs of her own, more Deadpool / Nicepool drama, and Allison Holker trying to make a quick buck by throwing her late husband under the bus. It was a WILD ride down the rabbit hole.

Transcribed - Published: 16 January 2025

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, former candy business operator Dean “Candy Man” Arnold Corll builds a reputation in Houston Heights as a trusted individual. The parents of the lower-middle-class neighborhood appreciate how Dean is a role model and caretaker for the local boys and young men. Except this is a ruse. Dean is actually the serial rapist and murderer responsible for multiple missing boys’ disappearances. When Dean’s accomplice, 17-year-old Elmer Wayne Henley Junior, kills Dean in August of 1973, all is revealed. Wayne shows the authorities Dean’s three dumping sites: a storage unit, a beach, and a forest. Within days, police uncover 27 victims’ nude and plastic-wrapped bodies. Dean’s other accomplice, 18-year-old David Owen Brooks, and Wayne receive justice for their part in these murders, but Dean—the mastermind—will never answer for his crimes. In episode 334, Jac and Alexis break down how Dean’s evil actions terrorized a community without anyone noticing. This is part two of a two-part series.

Transcribed - Published: 15 January 2025

IT ENDS WITH US IN COURT. This week we deep dive the never ending feud between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, and everything surrounding the It Ends With Us Drama. We comb through each of their lawsuits, poke a few holes, and revel in all of the drama. And oh boy are there RECEIPTS. PROOF. TIMELINE. SCREENSHOTS.

Transcribed - Published: 9 January 2025

On the morning of August 8, 1973, 17-year-old Elmer Wayne Henley Junior shoots and kills former candy company owner, 33-year-old Dean Arnold Corll, in Pasadena, Texas. Wayne was acting in self-defense, saving himself and two friends. After a night of partying, Dean had bound the three young adults with the intent of raping and murdering them. Wayne convinced Dean to free him with false promises, which allowed him to grab Dean’s gun. When the authorities arrive, Wayne explains to the Texas police that Dean has killed many boys and young men. Wayne directs the officers to the location of four bodies, but the investigators don’t find four bodies. They find 17. Within hours, Wayne confesses his own involvement and provides the locations of 10 additional bodies. In episode 333, Jac and Alexis unpack how Dean, known locally as the Candy Man, manipulated Wayne and another young man, 18-year-old David Owen Brooks, into participating in one of the nation’s most horrific crimes. This is part one of a two-part series.

Transcribed - Published: 8 January 2025

Okay we need to talk about WTF is up with all of the DRONES!!! Why is the govt being so sketchy, are they really biblically accurate angels, why are we just ignoring the plasmoids??? So many questions, literally no answers. Plus we finally get confirmation that birds aren’t real (just kidding…kinda?)

Transcribed - Published: 2 January 2025

Years ago The First Degree covered the serial murder spree of Glen Rogers, also known as The Casanova Killer. On the heels of OJ Simpson's 2024 death, a new theory about his horrific crimes involving Glen Rogers has circulated, and it's time to debunk them and put the rumors for bed once and for all.

Transcribed - Published: 1 January 2025

Happy rot day everyone! On this very special holiday, we break down and analyze Kim Kardashian’s bizarre rendition music video of Santa Baby. Is it satanic symbolism, a very creative marketing scheme, or is it simply just…art? Plus, a cancelled Kardashian Christmas party and angel monitor conspiracies. And of course, we bring you the latest Luigi updates.

Transcribed - Published: 26 December 2024

In 2020 we covered the case of The Stanford Murders. A string of crimes that occurred between 1973-1974 in the area surrounding Stanford University. In 2016 a cold case unit regrouped their efforts, which led to the identification of a suspect named John Getreu, a serial killer operating under the radar for more than 50 years. In this special update episode we’ll delve into the significant developments in the case.

Transcribed - Published: 25 December 2024

Jay-Z’s lawyer is claiming there’s no friendship between he and Diddy, despite a paper trail dating back decades. Hats on, critical minds open, seat belts fastened. Buckle up friends because we’re coming in hot with everything you need to know (except for the history of Jay-Z and Beyoncé because that deserves its own episode).

Transcribed - Published: 19 December 2024

In the early hours of May 18, 2024, a 39-year-old mother of four vanishes after last being seen at her mother-in-law’s home in Redding, California. Just days earlier, she had shared plans to divorce her abusive husband and rebuild her life. When her family stops hearing from her, alarm bells ring, especially given her husband’s history of violence and erratic behavior. Detectives soon discover her truck abandoned in a remote area, raising even more questions about her disappearance. In episode 330, Jac and Alexis delve into the unsettling details of Nikki Cheng Saelee-McCain’s disappearance, her fight to escape an abusive marriage, and the unanswered questions that still haunt her family.

Transcribed - Published: 18 December 2024

Put your tin foil hats on because this weeks episode is a wild ride! Join us as we uncover everything we can about Luigi Mangione, the murder of Brian Thompson, the CEO of United Health Care, and what the hell is ACTUALLY going on. We’re talking facts but we’re also diving into theories because let’s be honest, nothing is making sense right now…

Transcribed - Published: 12 December 2024

On October 7, 2022, a 22-year-old black woman is frantically knocking on doors in a suburban neighborhood on the outskirts of Kansas City, Missouri. When police arrive, they find the distressed woman with duct tape around her neck, wearing a trash bag, and a metal collar with a padlock. She tells police she had been held against her will and sexually assaulted by a man at a home nearby. But this is just the beginning. City law enforcement knows - but has consistently denied - that local black women have been going missing. When another victim turns up murdered, the lies and cover-ups begin to be exposed. And things turn uglier when a retired former detective is implicated in other local murders, with misconduct and malfeasance more prevalent than many realised. In episode 329, Jac and Alexis detail the alleged case against Timothy Haslett Jr, and how his supposed crimes have been enabled by a police department rife with systemic racism.

Transcribed - Published: 11 December 2024

Today is a different kind of deep dive! You know the show Sister Wives? Yeah, the wacky reality show on TLC about that weird polygamist guy with the ramen noodle mullet? Did you know one of his wives has a serial killer in her family tree? This week we’re deep diving the dark, twisted history of the LeBaron family. And there’s murder….lots of murder.

Transcribed - Published: 5 December 2024

On March 22, 2016, a 50-year-old woman passes away in Baldwin, New York. She had been suffering from chronic pain for almost 10 years following surgery, and was found to have died from an opioid overdose. It’s a tragic yet not uncommon story in a country in the grip of a sweeping prescription opioid epidemic. It wouldn’t be until almost two and a half years later that an investigation commenced into not just the woman’s death, but that of three other people who had also died in similar circumstances in the meantime. As law enforcement looks into how the deceased obtained the prescription drugs which had caused their deaths, it became clear that they were all provided by the same physician. But before the doctor could be charged, a fifth person lost their life. In episode 328, Jac and Alexis discuss the shocking case of Dr George Blatti, someone with no regard for the Hippocratic oath, the patients he was obligated to help, or their families.

Transcribed - Published: 4 December 2024

You asked for it, and boy did we deliver! This week’s Deep Dive is allllllll about Ellen DeGeneres. Hats on. Minds open. Because it turns out that Diddy isn’t the only diabolical supervillain floating around the 1%. We dive into the Wayfair x Ellen Trafficking conspiracy theory, the bizarre death of Anne Heche and tWitch, and why exactly did Ellen and Portia flee the country???

Transcribed - Published: 28 November 2024

In October of 2023 we released two episodes discussing the cases of Rita Tangredi and Colleen McNamee. There have been significant developments regarding the man convicted of their murders. These essential updates involve the Long Island Serial Killer suspect, Rex Heuermann.

Transcribed - Published: 27 November 2024

Another day, another deep dive! This week Jac & Lex dive into the latest Diddy updates, including a bombshell story about Diddy sacrificing a dove in the middle of Central Park just minutes before his acquittal of the 1999 nightclub shooing??? WTF? We also chat through the latest bizarre celeb news of the week: Megan Fox’s black goo pregnancy announcement, an Ariana Grande only fans impersonator, and Jay Leno “falling down a cliff”. It was quite the week.

Transcribed - Published: 21 November 2024

In the early hours of January 7, 1981, a 29-year-old vibrant young mother of two vanishes from her home in Hayfield Township, Pennsylvania, during a blizzard. All of her belongings—including her wallet, car, glasses, and hearing aids—are left behind in a home that is disturbingly spotless. When questioned, the woman’s husband claims she left in the middle of the night after an argument. Yet despite these claims, the mother is never found, leaving her children with haunting questions about what truly happened that fateful night. In episode 326, Jac and Alexis dive into the tragic disappearance of Lonene “Lonnie” Rogers and her daughter Alison's decades-long quest for the truth.

Transcribed - Published: 20 November 2024

Today we’ve got so much more than tinfoil hats for you. All hats are encouraged on this special DIDDY DEEP DIVE x FASHION crossover episode. With such strong ties between the worlds of music and fashion, we had to investigate. We’re talking all about Hollywood’s high priestess and her husband, Rick Owens AKA the “Lord of Darkness.” We’re talking the satanic Balenciaga scandal and the celebrities who support them anyway. And you may notice that some of these same celebrities with elusive ties to the dark world of fashion are the same ones with ties to Diddy. BUCKLE UP.

Transcribed - Published: 14 November 2024

In part 2 of our coverage of the Lana Turner case, Jac and Alexis conclude with a deep dive into the frenzied trial. Phil Spector finally went to court for the murder of Lana Clarkson in 2007, almost 4 years after her senseless death. Under the pervasive glare of the media, it would take six years and two jury trials, both lasting for months at a time, for the case to be adjudicated. Yet questions still linger for Lana’s best friend, Pie McLaughlin.

Transcribed - Published: 13 November 2024

We’re drowning in the deep end for week 7 of our Diddy deep dive! We bring you the latest updates including who the hell is Courtney Burgess and why is HE the one with all of the freak off tapes, what was on diddys NDA agreements, and did Kanye sacrifice his mother to the devil? Plus we rage about Peanut the squirrels murder

Transcribed - Published: 7 November 2024

In the early morning hours of February 3, 2003, actress Lana Clarkson left the Los Angeles venue, the House of Blues, with famed music producer, Phil Spector. Within hours, she would be dead from a single gunshot wound to the head. Under the cloud of “celebrity justice” and the perception that celebrities in Los Angeles were not held to the same law and standards as the general public, the LA County District Attorney’s office was determined to get a conviction. With endless funds available and access to the best experts and attorneys in the world, Spector fought back. In part 1 of this 2 parter, Jac and Alexis delve into the sad circumstances of Lana Clarkson’s death, and bizarre lead up to the high profile trial.

Transcribed - Published: 6 November 2024