In the fall of 1975, Lisa Peak is a freshman journalism student at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa when she is trapped into a sex trafficking extortion ring run by a sick and twisted man named John Carmody. After months of abuse, Lisa goes to the police and helps secure a conviction against him. With Carmody behind bars, Lisa tries to move on with her life ... Show More
Nov 20
DEEP DIVE: BETTER CALL KRIS
Tin foil hats ON this week, people because there’s a lot to talk about. D4VD is finally named a suspect by authorities, Blake Lively’s team doing weird shit again, an adorable proposal turned into murder confession, and is Kris Jenner’s bday party the new Bohemian Grove? You te ... Show More
49m 53s
Nov 19
Episode 378: Thirteen Years Later
It began as a familiar face from high school, someone she once trusted. But over thirteen years, that connection twisted into something far darker. No matter how many times he was arrested or how long he was behind bars, he always came back. On episode 378 of The First Degree, Ja ... Show More
1h 9m
May 2022
Episode 197: Marie "Lisa" Peak, Part 2
In December 1975, Lisa Peak helps authorities bring down John Carmody, the head of a sex trafficking extortion ring. By September 1976, Lisa, now 19 years old, is starting to move on with her life. She moves into the dorms for her sophomore year at Wartburg College in Waverly, Io ... Show More
57m 52s
Sep 2024
Episode 318: Brandy Hutchins
In November 1988, a 14-year-old girl is found murdered in an abandoned house in Johnson County, Arkansas, with satanic writings on the walls. She has been shot at point-blank range, and her body is hidden beneath old boards in the root cellar. A positive pregnancy test is found n ... Show More
45m 44s
Feb 2025
Talking Dateline: Return to the Lake
<p>Josh Mankiewicz and Craig Melvin sit down to talk about Craig’s episode, “Return to the Lake.” In 1994, the disappearance of two young brothers, Michael and Alex Smith, following an alleged carjacking in Union, South Carolina, was all anyone could talk about. The nation felt t ... Show More
26m 52s
Mar 2025
Episode 344: Janice Lillie
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 coupl ... Show More
55m 34s
Apr 2025
Lisa Staes (Jack of Diamonds, Wisconsin)
<p>Our card this week is Lisa Staes, the Jack of Diamonds from Wisconsin. </p><p>In the winter of 1976, Lisa Staes was trying to figure out what exactly she wanted to do with her life. Like so many 20-year-olds, she’d just moved out of her parents’ house and started classes at a ... Show More
39m 4s
Aug 2019
Episode 54: Kim Goldman Part 1
On the night of June 12th, 1994, two people were murdered in the Los Angeles suburb of Brentwood. This double homicide would change the world, shatter the lives of the victims' families, and forever fracture our faith in the justice system. On episode 53, Jac, Alexis & Billy are ... Show More
1 h
Oct 17
Episode 323
In June 2022, in the quiet city of Alton, Illinois, Heidi Noel found her 22-year-old daughter, Liese Dodd, savagely murdered in her apartment. A disturbing investigation uncovered missed warning signs, a fractured relationship, and a chilling unraveling. This is the story of a yo ... Show More
1h 6m