The First Degree

Janet Downing lay dying in her dining room. Dying from 98 stab wounds. The person arrested for murder was not an escaped mental patient. He was not the boogie man. He was her son’s best friend, the 15-year-old boy who lived across the street, who she had watched grow up. Were there any signs? Any warnings that this cherub-faced child had a bloodlust lurking inside him? Turns out, there very well might have been. In episode 109, Jac, Alexis and Billy delve into the investigation, and uncover disturbing stories about Eddie O’Brien leading up to the murder of Janet Downing.

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It was the hang-out house in the neighborhood. All the kids would come by the Downing residence, visiting with 16-year old twins Ryan and Paul, chilling in the living room playing Sega, and being served snacks by the mom of the household, Janet Downing. But on the night of July 23rd, the house on Boston Street would become a horror scene. On episode 108, Jac, Alexis and Billy head to Somerville, Massachusetts to delve into the murder of Janet Downing—and uncover the neighborhood secrets that were hiding in plain sight.

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When 12-year-old Shannon Leigh Kos disappeared on a Sunday afternoon, the police initially suspected that the rebellious 7th grader was just blowing off some steam and would be home soon. But after days of searching, they discovered the grim reality of what truly happened to Shannon. On episode 107, Jac, Alexis & Billy delve into the brutal, tragic, and utterly senseless events of October 8, 2000, and what transpired in a place called “ZombieLand”.

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Can someone be born evil? Or is evil a product of your environment. The McFeelys had their hands full with their teenage grandson, Brian. The boy they had custody of was rambunctious and childish—and then he turned dangerous. He would go away, seemingly get better then come back and get worse. And then one day, the situation became deadly. On episode 106, Jac, Alexis and Billy tell the story of mental illness, child protective services and unspeakable horror.

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When Seath started dating Amber, the 15-year-olds shouted their love from rooftops—and across social media. But as high school romances are want to do, the relationship fizzled, and Amber began to stray. She ghosted Seath, then started posting pictures on facebook of her with another man. These events would lead to jealousy, rage, name-calling, betrayal, conspiracy and, ultimately, murder. On episode 105, Jac, Alexis and Billy head to Summerfield, Florida, for a twisted tale of love and revenge.

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Two people fail to come home after a day at high school. One is a 14-year old student and soccer player who just moved into town. The other is a 24-year-old math teacher. After a frantic search, police access the school’s surveillance video and watch a gruesome horror story unfold. In episode 104, Jac, Billy and Alexis delve into the tragic story of Colleen Ritzer and Philip Chism.

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It’s now 2004, and BTK has been lurking in the shadows of Wichita, Kansas for 30 years. The murders have stopped, and it looks like he got away with his crimes...until a newspaper publishes a story on the anniversary of his first murders. And the killer just can’t help himself. In episode 103, Jac, Alexis and Billy explore how Dennis Rader’s narcissism helped police track him down, how his own daughter unwittingly aided in his capture, and the “grand finale” murder he planned to commit right before he was captured. You will also hear the killer in his own words confess to the crimes.

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After murdering five people, the killer known as BTK made his first contact with the media. But now he’s disappeared. For three long years would waits, before forcing his way into the home of a woman and slaying her while her children listened. Nine months later he would kill again, and continue to taunt the police, writing “Do the cops think that all those deaths are not related? Golly-gee yes the MO is different in each but look--a pattern is developing.” The pattern was laid out for all to see. But even when he resurfaces six years later to kill once more, the cops are clueless. In episode 102, Jac. Alexis and Billy are again joined by Denis Rader’s daughter Kerri, and they attempt to answer the question: how do the circumstances in a killer’s “normal” life change the way he chooses victims in his sadistic life.

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A mother, father and their two children are found murdered in their Wichita, Kansas home. When a group of men falsely confess to the crimes, the real killer directs the police to a letter. He writes about the monster inside of him. The monster who needs to kill. “Maybe you can stop him. I can't. He has already chosen his next victim or victims. I don't know who they are yet. The next day after I read the paper, I will know, but it's too late. Good luck hunting.” In the 101st episode, Jac, Alexis and Billy delve into one of the most twisted serial killers of all time, Denis Rader, who for forty years was known by the initials BTK. Their first degree guest is the killer’s daughter, Kerri Rawson, who had no idea the loving father who raised her was harboring a monster.

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Two young women, their bodies beaten and strangled and found less than a mile from each other in the hills near Stanford University. For 40 years their killer went undetected. Then, during the hunt for the Golden State Killer, a name pops up on law enforcement’s radar: John Getreu. In episode 100, Jac, Alexis and Billy tell the tale of a family man, a boy scout leader, a loving father and grandfather who was attacking and murdering women for decades—and how he was finally captured.

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