The First Degree

Around 11am on the morning of November 8th, 2004, a resident of the Bixby Knolls neighborhood in Long Beach saw what looked to be a prowler hoping the fence into the backyard of Lynn Schockner.  Concerned, the neighbor immediately called the police. Within minutes, police were at Lynn’s front door, asking her to open her side gate. In the span of minutes, with police outside her house, Lynn was stabbed to death by an intruder. What initially seemed like a burglary gone wrong soon unfurled into a murder for hire plot that crossed Southern California. In episode 352, Jac and Alexis dig into the shocking events that left one woman dead and three men in jail for life. 🎟 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 

The bitch is back! This week Jac and Lex are joined by their fav, Holly Madison to gossip about all of the latest dark news. We get her hot takes on Blake vs Justin, the disgusting slew of female teacher predators, and of course Diddy (and was there really a tunnel connecting his house to the Playboy Mansion???).  🎟 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 August 21, 2023, a 53-year-old husband and father fails to return home from work not far from Oakland, Maryland. News eventually reaches his family that he’s been involved in a terrible incident. While driving home, the crane operator’s vehicle skids off the road and ends up in a ravine, his life hanging in the balance. The man is taken to the hospital, where he tragically dies. But it’s not injuries from the car crash that have claimed his life. The reason the victim ran off the road in the first place was a gunshot wound to the head. But exactly who is responsible and how it all unfolded remains a mystery. In episode 351, Jac and Alexis detail the heartbreaking unsolved homicide of Ascenzio ‘Slanz’ Bilello, exploring the questions around the events of that night, the subsequent police investigation, and how his family continues to deal with the trauma of his senseless loss. 🎟 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 

This week Jac and Alexis dive into the long awaited start of the Diddy trial (and why haven’t we seen ANYTHING about it on the news???), bringing the latest updates including the complexity of jury selection, celebrity names mentioned we’ve never heard before, and what will or will not be included during trial.  Then, the latest with the Blake and Ryan cringe machine, and finishing it off with the weirdest “realistic 3D model” of Madeline McCann we’ve ever seen. 🎟 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 July 30, 2000, an 85-year-old man and his 78-year-old wife are taken hostage and soon after killed in a home in Concord, California. In the following days, three more murders are committed as a trio of offenders seek to leave minimal witnesses behind. When the perpetrators are apprehended and their motivations revealed, the truth behind the bloodbath is as bizarre as it is frightening - a dark and elaborate plan so disconnected from reality it’s impossible to comprehend how such violence could be justified in anyone’s mind. In episode 350, Jac and Alexis, with the help of none other than Holly Madison, detail the grisly spree killings of Ivan and Annette Stineman, Selina Bishop, Jennifer Villarin, and James Gamble, and discuss how close Playboy magazine’s September 2000 playmate, Kerissa Fare, came to this horrifying powder keg situation. 🎟 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 

This week Jac and Alexis unpack their recovery from Stagecoach and dive into the latest headlines: from Katy Perry’s tour flop (why was she fighting an HVAC tube???) to Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds’ Time 100 Gala outing (why was she on the list???), and the Elizabeth Moss sighting at L Ron Hubbards bday party (why is a dead man still throwing birthday parties???). Another weird, wild week 🎟 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 

Molly Frequemont’s family wants answers and they refuse to stop advocating for her.  Their determination and unwavering commitment to Molly is what ultimately unearthed the existence of a serial killer who had likely been operating under the radar for decades. Which begs the question, how many more victims could this predator be connected to? In episode 349, Jac and Alexis conclude with part 2 of the story and search for Molly Franquemont. 🎟 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’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!)  🎟 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 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. 🎟 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 

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! 🎟 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 

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. 🎟 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 

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?? 🎟 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 

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. 🎟 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 

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. 🎟 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 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. 🎟 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 

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! 🎟 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 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. 🎟 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 

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.  🎟 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 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. 🎟 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 

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. 🎟 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