The First Degree

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. 🎟 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 

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. 🎟 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 

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.  Subscribe to Drop Dead Serious and watch the trailer below: Follow on Apple:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/drop-dead-serious-with-ashleigh-banfield/id1749169659Follow on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/5DndaieKD0xZO5d1NrqhjI?si=babe7d07168b4af5Subscribe on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@DropDeadSeriousTrailer on YouTube:https://youtu.be/Ayqr4K5jOes?si=4vZp66_hB61EQN0jWebsite:https://www.dropdeadserious.com/ 🎟 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 

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.  🎟 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 

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. 🎟 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 

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. 🎟 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 

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. 🎟 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 

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?) 🎟 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 

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. 🎟 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 

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. 🎟 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 

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. 🎟 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 

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). 🎟 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 

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. 🎟 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 

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… 🎟 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 

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. 🎟 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