Episode 275: The Murdaugh Family, Part 1

On February 24, 2019, a 19-year-old woman and her friends are on a private boat ride in the very early hours of the morning near Beaufort, South Carolina. The carefree night turns ugly when the 19-year-old skipper crashes the boat into a bridge, killing the young woman. The saga that follows is something, few people could have predicted. Two more people close to the case end up losing their lives in a brutal double slaying, before other previous deaths in the community soon become linked to a prominent local family at the center of the investigation. In episode 275, Jac and Alexis detail the tragic deaths of Gloria Satterfield, Stephen Smith, and Mallory Beach, followed by the shocking murders of Paul Murdaugh and his mother Maggie, the latter two orchestrated by their husband and father, local attorney Alex. This is a story about how all the power, prestige, and privilege in the world don’t make us untouchable when it comes to the law, and what happens when someone is brought to account by those whose job it is to expose the truth, no matter the risk.

Om Podcasten

Do you ever wonder what it’s like to be friends with a murderer? Or escape a kidnapping? Or have a father who was a serial killer? Join Jac Vanek and Alexis Linkletter on a chilling ride into the darkest corners of your worst nightmares. Murders, cults, kidnappings, and conspiracies—all told through the eyes of a guest who is one degree of separation from the story itself. From infamous serial killers to the unbelievable unknown murder in your own backyard, The First Degree delivers a new perspective to the already fascinating true crime landscape. And who knows... you may be our next guest. (Plus, join them every Thursday for Killing Time, the light-hearted, true crime-adjacent aftershow!)