Clues by Sam Mar 20, 2026 Answer – Full Solution Explained
Hard·Solved
A1
👮♀️
Alice
cop
B1
👩🎤
Bonnie
singer
C1
👩🎤
Carol
singer
D1
👨🎤
David
singer
A2
👩🍳
Ellie
cook
B2
👩🍳
Flora
cook
C2
🕵️♂️
Gabe
sleuth
D2
👨🌾
Hal
farmer
A3
👨🍳
Ike
cook
B3
🕵️♂️
Jose
sleuth
C3
💂♂️
Logan
guard
D3
👩🌾
Nancy
farmer
A4
👮♂️
Oscar
cop
B4
🕵️♀️
Paula
sleuth
C4
💂♂️
Rob
guard
D4
👩🌾
Uma
farmer
A5
👮♀️
Vera
cop
B5
👩🔧
Wanda
mech
C5
👨🔧
Xavi
mech
D5
👨🔧
Zach
mech
Final Board State
This puzzle is fully solved.
All characters have been identified as innocent or criminal based on today's clues.
Final Result
Innocent 7Criminal 13Unknown 0
See how each clue leads to the final result
Answer (spoilers)
A quick reference of the final identities. For explanations, see the reasoning above.
▶ Answer list (spoilers)
Innocent · 7
[ A1 ] [ C2 ] [ D2 ] [ B3 ] [ D3 ] [ D4 ] [ A5 ]
Criminal · 13
[ B1 ] [ C1 ] [ D1 ] [ A2 ] [ B2 ] [ A3 ] [ C3 ] [ A4 ] [ B4 ] [ C4 ] [ B5 ] [ C5 ] [ D5 ]
Clues
Raw text reference from the original puzzle
Original clue texts as provided in today's puzzle. No deductions or interpretations are applied here.
▶ Raw clues (original text)
A1 · Alice
"There is only one innocent in column B"
B1 · Bonnie
"Hal is one of Logan's 5 innocent neighbors"
C1 · Carol
"There are more innocents in row 2 than row 4"
D1 · David
"Exactly 3 of Gabe's 5 criminal neighbors also neighbor Carol"
A2 · Ellie
"There's an equal number of criminals in rows 1 and 4"
B2 · Flora
"Here we go!"
C2 · Gabe
"Only 1 of the 3 criminals in row 5 is Wanda's neighbor"
D2 · Hal
"I can hear them falling like dominoes"
A3 · Ike
"There are more innocents in row 3 than row 4"
B3 · Jose
"I guess you don't need a hint anymore"
C3 · Logan
"It was fun while it lasted!"
D3 · Nancy
"Rob has exactly 3 innocent neighbors"
A4 · Oscar
"Exactly 1 innocent in row 4 is neighboring Rob"
B4 · Paula
"Farewell, my fellow dominoes!"
C4 · Rob
"Only 1 of the 6 criminals neighboring Paula is to the right of Ike"
D4 · Uma
"That's it! Good job!"
A5 · Vera
"There's an odd number of innocents to the left of David"
B5 · Wanda
"There's an equal number of criminals in rows 4 and 5"
C5 · Xavi
"Flora has exactly 5 criminal neighbors"
D5 · Zach
"Xavi has only one innocent neighbor"
Answer Explanation
Full reasoning transcript (reference)
This is the full reasoning transcript for today's puzzle. For an interactive walkthrough, use Replay above.
▶ View full transcript (18 steps)
B5 · Wanda → CRIMINAL, D5 · Zach → CRIMINAL
Because: In row 5 the people are Vera at A5, Wanda at B5, Xavi at C5, and Zach at D5, and the clue says there are exactly 3 criminals among these four. Wanda’s only neighbors within row 5 are Vera and Xavi, because Zach is two spaces away and is not a neighbor of Wanda. If Wanda were innocent, then the three criminals in row 5 would have to be Vera, Xavi, and Zach, but that would make two of the three criminals (Vera and Xavi) Wanda’s neighbors, which contradicts the clue that only one of the three is Wanda’s neighbor. So Wanda must be one of the three criminals in row 5. With Wanda already a criminal, the clue’s “only one criminal is Wanda’s neighbor” means exactly one of Vera and Xavi is criminal, so the other additional criminal needed to reach three must be Zach. Therefore, we can determine that Wanda is CRIMINAL and Zach is CRIMINAL.
Clue:
"Only 1 of the 3 criminals in row 5 is Wanda's neighbor" — Gabe (C2)
A4 · Oscar → CRIMINAL
Because: Row 5 is stated to have exactly three criminals, and Wanda says rows 4 and 5 have the same number of criminals, so row 4 must also have exactly three criminals. Zach says Xavi has only one innocent neighbor; Xavi’s neighbors are Paula (B4), Rob (C4), Uma (D4), Wanda (B5), and Zach (D5), and since Wanda and Zach are already criminals, exactly one of Paula, Rob, and Uma can be innocent. That means exactly two of Paula, Rob, and Uma are criminals, so to reach three criminals total in row 4, Oscar at A4 must be the third criminal. Therefore, we can determine that A4 Oscar is CRIMINAL.
Clue:
"Only 1 of the 3 criminals in row 5 is Wanda's neighbor" — Gabe (C2)
"There's an equal number of criminals in rows 4 and 5" — Wanda (B5)
"Xavi has only one innocent neighbor" — Zach (D5)
C4 · Rob → CRIMINAL
Because: Rob is a neighbor of Xavi, and Xavi’s neighbors are Paula, Rob, Uma, Wanda, and Zach. Zach’s clue says Xavi has only one innocent neighbor, and we already know Wanda and Zach are criminals, so the only candidates for that one innocent neighbor are Paula, Rob, and Uma. Oscar’s clue says exactly 1 innocent in row 4 is neighboring Rob; the only row 4 neighbors of Rob are Paula (directly left) and Uma (directly right), so exactly one of Paula and Uma is innocent. That means the single innocent neighbor Xavi can have is already forced to be either Paula or Uma, so Rob cannot also be innocent. Therefore, we can determine that C4 Rob is CRIMINAL.
Clue:
"Xavi has only one innocent neighbor" — Zach (D5)
"Exactly 1 innocent in row 4 is neighboring Rob" — Oscar (A4)
A3 · Ike → CRIMINAL
Because: Paula is at B4, so her neighbors are Ike (A3), Jose (B3), Logan (C3), Oscar (A4), Rob (C4), Vera (A5), Wanda (B5), and Xavi (C5). Rob’s clue says Paula has exactly 6 criminal neighbors, and among those 6, only 1 is to the right of Ike; the only neighbors of Paula that are to the right of Ike are Jose and Logan, so exactly one of Jose and Logan is a criminal. Gabe’s clue says that among the three criminals in row 5, only one is Wanda’s neighbor; the only row 5 people who are Wanda’s neighbors are Vera and Xavi, so exactly one of Vera and Xavi is a criminal. Oscar, Rob, and Wanda are already known criminals among Paula’s neighbors, so to reach 6 criminal neighbors total, we still need 3 more criminals among Ike, Jose, Logan, Vera, and Xavi; but Jose/Logan contribute exactly 1 criminal and Vera/Xavi contribute exactly 1 criminal, so the third required criminal must be Ike. Therefore, we can determine that A3 Ike is CRIMINAL.
Clue:
"Only 1 of the 3 criminals in row 5 is Wanda's neighbor" — Gabe (C2)
"Only 1 of the 6 criminals neighboring Paula is to the right of Ike" — Rob (C4)
D3 · Nancy → INNOCENT
Because: Xavi is at C5, and his neighbors are Paula (B4), Rob (C4), Uma (D4), Wanda (B5), and Zach (D5). Zach’s clue says Xavi has only one innocent neighbor, and since Rob, Wanda, and Zach are already criminals, exactly one of Paula and Uma is innocent and the other is criminal; with Oscar and Rob both criminals, that means row 4 has exactly one innocent in total. Paula is at B4, and her neighbors include Ike (A3), Jose (B3), Logan (C3), Oscar (A4), Rob (C4), Vera (A5), Wanda (B5), and Xavi (C5). Rob’s clue says that among the six criminals neighboring Paula, only one is to the right of Ike, and the only neighbors of Paula that are to the right of Ike are Jose (B3) and Logan (C3), so exactly one of Jose and Logan is a criminal and the other is innocent. Ike’s clue says there are more innocents in row 3 than in row 4, so row 3 must have at least two innocents because row 4 has exactly one. In row 3, Ike is a criminal, and we have only one innocent guaranteed between Jose and Logan, so Nancy (D3) must be the additional innocent needed. Therefore, we can determine that D3 Nancy is INNOCENT.
Clue:
"Xavi has only one innocent neighbor" — Zach (D5)
"Only 1 of the 6 criminals neighboring Paula is to the right of Ike" — Rob (C4)
"There are more innocents in row 3 than row 4" — Ike (A3)
C5 · Xavi → CRIMINAL
Because: Xavi’s neighbors are Paula at B4, Rob at C4, Uma at D4, Wanda at B5, and Zach at D5. Zach’s clue says Xavi has only one innocent neighbor, and since Rob, Wanda, and Zach are already criminals, the only possible innocent neighbor of Xavi must be either Paula or Uma, meaning exactly one of Paula and Uma is innocent. Now look at Rob at C4: Nancy’s clue says Rob has exactly 3 innocent neighbors, and we already know Nancy is innocent while Wanda and Zach are criminals, so among Rob’s other five neighbors (Jose, Logan, Paula, Uma, and Xavi) there must be exactly 2 innocents. Rob’s clue about Paula implies Paula has 6 criminal neighbors and that exactly one of the two neighbors to the right of Ike (Jose and Logan) is a criminal, so exactly one of Jose and Logan is innocent; combined with “exactly one of Paula and Uma is innocent,” that already forces exactly 2 innocents among Jose, Logan, Paula, and Uma. Since Rob can have only 2 innocents total among Jose, Logan, Paula, Uma, and Xavi, Xavi cannot be innocent, so Xavi must be criminal. Therefore, we can determine that C5 Xavi is CRIMINAL.
Clue:
"Xavi has only one innocent neighbor" — Zach (D5)
"Only 1 of the 6 criminals neighboring Paula is to the right of Ike" — Rob (C4)
"Rob has exactly 3 innocent neighbors" — Nancy (D3)
A5 · Vera → INNOCENT
Because: Row 5 has four people: Vera at A5, Wanda at B5, Xavi at C5, and Zach at D5. Gabe’s clue says that in row 5 there are exactly 3 criminals in total. Since Wanda, Xavi, and Zach are already known to be criminals, they must be those three criminals, leaving no remaining criminal slot in row 5 for Vera. Therefore, we can determine that A5 · Vera is INNOCENT.
Clue:
"Only 1 of the 3 criminals in row 5 is Wanda's neighbor" — Gabe (C2)
A2 · Ellie → CRIMINAL
Because: Paula at B4 neighbors Ike, Oscar, Rob, Vera, Wanda, Xavi, Jose, and Logan, and Rob’s clue refers to “the 6 criminals neighboring Paula,” so Jose and Logan cannot both be the same status: exactly one of them is a criminal and the other is an innocent. Flora at B2 neighbors A1, B1, C1, A2 (Ellie), C2 (Gabe), A3 (Ike), B3 (Jose), and C3 (Logan), and Xavi’s clue says Flora has exactly 5 criminal neighbors; since Gabe is innocent, Ike is a criminal, and exactly one of Jose/Logan is innocent, that already accounts for 2 innocents and 2 criminals, so among A1, B1, C1, and A2 there must be exactly 1 innocent and 3 criminals to reach 5 criminals total. Vera’s clue says there is an odd number of innocents to the left of David, which is exactly A1, B1, and C1, so at least one of A1/B1/C1 is an innocent; that means the single innocent among A1/B1/C1/A2 must be in A1/B1/C1, not at A2. Therefore, we can determine that A2 Ellie is CRIMINAL.
Clue:
"Only 1 of the 6 criminals neighboring Paula is to the right of Ike" — Rob (C4)
"There's an odd number of innocents to the left of David" — Vera (A5)
"Flora has exactly 5 criminal neighbors" — Xavi (C5)
D1 · David → CRIMINAL
Because: Row 5 already has three criminals (Wanda, Xavi, and Zach), so Wanda’s clue that rows 4 and 5 have an equal number of criminals means row 4 also has three criminals. Ellie’s clue then says rows 1 and 4 have an equal number of criminals, so row 1 must also have three criminals, meaning there is exactly one innocent in row 1. Vera says there is an odd number of innocents to the left of David, but the only people to David’s left are Alice, Bonnie, and Carol, so if David were the single innocent in row 1 then there would be zero innocents to his left, which is not odd. Therefore, we can determine that D1 David is CRIMINAL.
Clue:
"There's an equal number of criminals in rows 4 and 5" — Wanda (B5)
"There's an odd number of innocents to the left of David" — Vera (A5)
"There's an equal number of criminals in rows 1 and 4" — Ellie (A2)
C1 · Carol → CRIMINAL
Because: Look at Gabe at C2: his neighbors include Carol at C1, Jose at B3, Logan at C3, David at D1, Nancy at D3, and the three squares B1, B2, and D2. David’s clue says Gabe has exactly 5 criminal neighbors, and exactly 3 of those criminals are also neighbors of Carol; since the only Gabe-neighbors who can also be Carol’s neighbors are B1, B2, D1, and D2, that means 3 of the 5 criminals are among those four squares, so the other 2 criminals among Gabe’s neighbors must be from the squares that do not neighbor Carol. Nancy at D3 is already innocent, and the only remaining Gabe-neighbors that do not neighbor Carol are Carol (C1), Jose (B3), and Logan (C3), so David’s clue forces exactly 2 of {Carol, Jose, Logan} to be criminals. Rob’s clue about Paula says she has exactly 6 criminal neighbors; among Paula’s neighbors we already have five known criminals (Ike, Oscar, Rob, Wanda, and Xavi) and Vera is innocent, so exactly one of Jose and Logan is criminal. That makes it impossible for Jose and Logan alone to supply the required two criminals in {Carol, Jose, Logan}, so Carol must be the second criminal. Therefore, we can determine that C1 Carol is CRIMINAL.
Clue:
"Only 1 of the 6 criminals neighboring Paula is to the right of Ike" — Rob (C4)
"Exactly 3 of Gabe's 5 criminal neighbors also neighbor Carol" — David (D1)
B1 · Bonnie → CRIMINAL
Because: Xavi is at C5, and the only unknown neighbors of Xavi are B4 and D4 (since C4, B5, and D5 are already criminals), so Zach’s clue “Xavi has only one innocent neighbor” forces exactly one of B4 and D4 to be innocent, meaning row 4 has exactly 1 innocent. Carol’s clue says there are more innocents in row 2 than in row 4, so row 2 must have at least 2 innocents total; since Ellie at A2 is a criminal and Gabe at C2 is an innocent, at least one of B2 or D2 must be innocent. David’s clue says exactly 3 of Gabe’s 5 criminal neighbors also neighbor Carol; among Gabe’s neighbors, the ones that neighbor Carol are B1, B2, D1, and D2, and D1 is already a criminal, so exactly two of B1, B2, and D2 must be criminals. Because at least one of B2 or D2 is innocent, Bonnie at B1 must be one of those two criminals. Therefore, we can determine that B1 Bonnie is CRIMINAL.
Clue:
"Xavi has only one innocent neighbor" — Zach (D5)
"Exactly 3 of Gabe's 5 criminal neighbors also neighbor Carol" — David (D1)
"There are more innocents in row 2 than row 4" — Carol (C1)
A1 · Alice → INNOCENT
Because: David is at D1, so the people to the left of David are exactly Alice at A1, Bonnie at B1, and Carol at C1. Vera’s clue says there is an odd number of innocents among those three people. Bonnie and Carol are already known to be criminals, so neither of them can be one of those innocents. That means the only way to have an odd number of innocents there is for Alice to be innocent. Therefore, we can determine that A1 Alice is INNOCENT.
Clue:
"There's an odd number of innocents to the left of David" — Vera (A5)
D2 · Hal → INNOCENT
Because: Bonnie’s clue explicitly says that Hal is one of Logan’s innocent neighbors, which directly states that Hal is innocent. Therefore, we can determine that D2 Hal is INNOCENT.
Clue:
"Hal is one of Logan's 5 innocent neighbors" — Bonnie (B1)
B2 · Flora → CRIMINAL
Because: Gabe is at C2, and his neighbors are Bonnie (B1), Carol (C1), David (D1), Flora (B2), Hal (D2), Jose (B3), Logan (C3), and Nancy (D3). The clue says Gabe has exactly 5 criminal neighbors, and we already know Bonnie, Carol, and David are criminals, so exactly two of Flora, Jose, and Logan must also be criminals. Among Gabe’s neighbors, the only people who are also neighbors of Carol (at C1) are Bonnie, David, Flora, Hal, and Gabe, and Hal is innocent and Gabe is not counted as his own neighbor; also, Carol herself cannot “neighbor Carol,” so the only possible criminals who can be counted as “also neighbor Carol” are Bonnie, David, and Flora. Since the clue says exactly 3 of Gabe’s 5 criminal neighbors also neighbor Carol, and Bonnie and David already provide two of those three, Flora must be the third. Therefore, we can determine that B2 Flora is CRIMINAL.
Clue:
"Exactly 3 of Gabe's 5 criminal neighbors also neighbor Carol" — David (D1)
B3 · Jose → INNOCENT
Because: Row 5 has three criminals (Wanda, Xavi, and Zach), so Wanda’s clue that rows 4 and 5 have an equal number of criminals means row 4 must also have exactly three criminals. Since row 4 already has Oscar and Rob as criminals, exactly one of Paula (B4) or Uma (D4) must be a criminal. Bonnie’s clue says Hal is one of Logan’s 5 innocent neighbors, so Logan has exactly five innocent neighbors in total. Around Logan (C3), the known innocents are Gabe (C2), Hal (D2), and Nancy (D3), and the known criminals are Flora (B2) and Rob (C4), so among the remaining neighbors Jose (B3), Paula (B4), and Uma (D4), exactly two must be innocent and exactly one must be a criminal. Since we already know the one criminal among Paula and Uma must exist from the row 4 count, that single criminal among Jose, Paula, and Uma has to be either Paula or Uma, leaving Jose as innocent. Therefore, we can determine that B3 Jose is INNOCENT.
Clue:
"There's an equal number of criminals in rows 4 and 5" — Wanda (B5)
"Hal is one of Logan's 5 innocent neighbors" — Bonnie (B1)
C3 · Logan → CRIMINAL
Because: Paula is at B4, and her neighbors are Ike (A3), Jose (B3), Logan (C3), Oscar (A4), Rob (C4), Vera (A5), Wanda (B5), and Xavi (C5). Rob’s clue says that Paula has 6 neighboring criminals in total, and only 1 of those 6 is to the right of Ike; the only neighbors of Paula that are to the right of Ike are Jose (B3) and Logan (C3). Jose is already INNOCENT, so the only way for there to be exactly one criminal neighbor to the right of Ike, and for Paula to have 6 criminal neighbors overall, is for Logan to be CRIMINAL. Therefore, we can determine that C3 Logan is CRIMINAL.
Clue:
"Only 1 of the 6 criminals neighboring Paula is to the right of Ike" — Rob (C4)
B4 · Paula → CRIMINAL
Because: Column B contains Bonnie at B1, Flora at B2, Jose at B3, Paula at B4, and Wanda at B5. Alice’s clue says there is only one innocent in column B. Since Jose at B3 is already known to be innocent, he must be that single innocent in the column. That leaves Paula at B4 unable to be innocent, so she must be criminal. Therefore, we can determine that B4 Paula is CRIMINAL.
Clue:
"There is only one innocent in column B" — Alice (A1)
D4 · Uma → INNOCENT
Because: Rows 4 and 5 are A4–D4 and A5–D5. Wanda’s clue says the number of criminals in row 4 equals the number of criminals in row 5. In row 5, Bonnie is innocent while Wanda, Xavi, and Zach are criminals, so row 5 has 3 criminals. Row 4 already has Oscar, Paula, and Rob as criminals, so to keep row 4 at exactly 3 criminals, Uma cannot also be a criminal. Therefore, we can determine that D4 Uma is INNOCENT.
Clue:
"There's an equal number of criminals in rows 4 and 5" — Wanda (B5)