Clues by Sam Apr 02, 2026 Answer – Full Solution Explained
Tricky·Solved
A1
👮♂️
Brian
cop
B1
👨💼
Carl
clerk
C1
👷♀️
Diane
builder
D1
👩💻
Emma
coder
A2
👷♀️
Freya
builder
B2
👨⚕️
Gary
doctor
C2
💂♂️
Henry
guard
D2
💂♂️
Ike
guard
A3
👮♀️
Julie
cop
B3
👩⚕️
Linda
doctor
C3
👩⚕️
Max
doctor
D3
👨🌾
Nick
farmer
A4
👮♂️
Olof
cop
B4
💂♂️
Phil
guard
C4
🕵️♂️
Rob
sleuth
D4
🕵️♂️
Salil
sleuth
A5
👩🌾
Tina
farmer
B5
👩💻
Vera
coder
C5
🕵️♀️
Xena
sleuth
D5
👩💼
Zoe
clerk
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 14Criminal 6Unknown 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 · 14
[ A1 ] [ D1 ] [ A2 ] [ B2 ] [ C2 ] [ D2 ] [ A3 ] [ B3 ] [ C3 ] [ D3 ] [ A4 ] [ B4 ] [ A5 ] [ D5 ]
Criminal · 6
[ B1 ] [ C1 ] [ C4 ] [ D4 ] [ B5 ] [ C5 ]
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 · Brian
"There are exactly 3 criminals in column C"
B1 · Carl
"I told my friend I'm innocent. Ha ha ha..."
C1 · Diane
"Both criminals in row 5 are connected"
D1 · Emma
"There are exactly 3 innocents below me"
A2 · Freya
"There's an equal number of innocents in rows 1 and 4"
B2 · Gary
"I was told it was my birthday. So I checked the date..."
C2 · Henry
"Freya has only one criminal neighbor on the edges"
D2 · Ike
"I was told aliens had landed on my backyard!"
A3 · Julie
"Exactly 1 innocent in column C is neighboring Max"
B3 · Linda
"Exactly 2 of the 5 criminals on the edges are in column C"
C3 · Max
"Diane has exactly 4 innocent neighbors"
D3 · Nick
"3 of Henry's neighbors on the edges are innocent"
A4 · Olof
"Oh, so we do have criminals around after all"
B4 · Phil
"I hope we won't have more tricks before Halloween"
C4 · Rob
"Ike is so easy to fool. They actually landed on his neighbors yard!"
D4 · Salil
"Were you tricked by yesterday's puzzle?"
A5 · Tina
"All innocents in column A are connected"
B5 · Vera
"I tricked someone into believing I wouldn't trick them."
C5 · Xena
"Only 1 of the 3 criminals neighboring me is to the left of Salil"
D5 · Zoe
"There was a puzzle yesterday? I was told... Oh... bugger."
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 (16 steps)
C5 · Xena → CRIMINAL, C1 · Diane → CRIMINAL
Because: The clue is about the criminals who are on the edge of the board, and it says there are 5 edge criminals in total. It also says exactly 2 of those edge criminals are in column C. On the edge, the only spaces that are in column C are C1 (Diane) on the top row and C5 (Xena) on the bottom row, because column C is not an outside column and only touches the edge at the top and bottom. Since there must be exactly 2 edge criminals in column C and there are only two edge people in column C, both of them have to be criminals. Therefore, we can determine that C5 (Xena) is CRIMINAL and C1 (Diane) is CRIMINAL.
Clue:
"Exactly 2 of the 5 criminals on the edges are in column C" — Linda (B3)
A5 · Tina → INNOCENT
Because: In row 5, the positions are A5 Tina, B5 Vera, C5 Xena, and D5 Zoe, and we already know Xena at C5 is a criminal. Diane’s clue says “Both criminals in row 5 are connected,” which means there are exactly two criminals in row 5 and they must be linked by an orthogonal chain of criminals; in a single row, that requires the two criminals to be directly adjacent. Since C5 is one of the two, the other criminal must be at B5 or D5, and A5 cannot be a criminal because A5 is not adjacent to C5 and would need B5 to also be criminal to connect them, creating more than two criminals in the row. Therefore, we can determine that A5 Tina is INNOCENT.
Clue:
"Both criminals in row 5 are connected" — Diane (C1)
A4 · Olof → INNOCENT
Because: The edge positions are the entire top row, bottom row, and columns A and D, and Linda’s clue says there are exactly 5 criminals on the edge with exactly 2 of those in column C. Since C1 (Diane) and C5 (Xena) are already known criminals and they are the only edge squares in column C, they account for those 2, so there can be only 3 more edge criminals anywhere else. A1, A2, A3, and A4 are all on the edge, so they cannot all be criminals, because that would already add 4 more edge criminals on top of Diane and Xena, exceeding the total of 5. That means at least one of A1–A4 is an innocent, and Tina’s clue says all innocents in column A are connected; with Tina herself at A5 being innocent, any innocent above A5 in column A can only connect to her through A4, so A4 must be innocent. Therefore, we can determine that A4 (Olof) is INNOCENT.
Clue:
"Exactly 2 of the 5 criminals on the edges are in column C" — Linda (B3)
"All innocents in column A are connected" — Tina (A5)
D4 · Salil → CRIMINAL
Because: Xena at C5 has five neighbors: B4, C4, D4 (Salil), B5, and D5. Her clue says exactly three of those neighbors are criminals, and only one of those three is to the left of Salil; since the only neighbors of Xena that are left of Salil (in row 4) are B4 and C4, that means exactly one of B4 or C4 is a criminal, so the other two criminal neighbors must come from D4, B5, and D5. Diane’s clue says row 5 has exactly two criminals and they are connected; because Xena at C5 is already a criminal, exactly one of B5 or D5 can be a criminal. That means among D4, B5, and D5, the only way to have the required two criminals is for D4 (Salil) to be a criminal. Therefore, we can determine that D4 Salil is CRIMINAL.
Clue:
"Only 1 of the 3 criminals neighboring me is to the left of Salil" — Xena (C5)
"Both criminals in row 5 are connected" — Diane (C1)
A3 · Julie → INNOCENT
Because: On the edge we already have three known criminals: Diane at C1, Salil at D4, and Xena at C5. Linda’s clue says there are exactly 5 criminals on the edges in total, so besides those three, there can be only two more edge criminals. Tina’s clue says all innocents in column A are connected by up/down adjacency, and we already know Olof at A4 and Tina at A5 are innocents and connected. That means any innocent higher up in column A (at A1 or A2) would have to connect to A4–A5 through A3, so if A3 were not innocent then A1 and A2 could not be innocent and would both have to be criminals. In that situation, the edge would contain criminals at C1, D4, C5, A1, A2, and A3, which is at least 6 edge criminals, but Linda’s clue allows only 5. Therefore, we can determine that A3 · Julie is INNOCENT.
Clue:
"Exactly 2 of the 5 criminals on the edges are in column C" — Linda (B3)
"All innocents in column A are connected" — Tina (A5)
A2 · Freya → INNOCENT
Because: On the edge in column C, the only positions are C1 and C5, and both Diane at C1 and Xena at C5 are already known criminals. Linda’s clue says there are exactly 5 edge criminals total, with exactly 2 of them in column C, so that means the remaining 3 edge criminals must all be elsewhere; since Salil at D4 is also an edge criminal, there are only 2 edge criminals left to be found among A1, B1, D1, A2, B5, D5, D2, and D3. Xena’s clue says she has exactly 3 criminal neighbors, and only 1 of those is to the left of Salil; among Xena’s neighbors, the only ones that are left of Salil are B4 and C4, while Salil himself at D4 is already one criminal neighbor, so exactly one of B5 or D5 must be the third criminal neighbor. That uses up one of the remaining two edge-criminal slots, so among A1, B1, D1, A2, D2, and D3 there is exactly one criminal. Tina’s clue says all innocents in column A are connected, and since A3, A4, and A5 are already innocents, A1 could only be part of that same connected group if A2 were also innocent; so if A2 were criminal, A1 would have to be criminal as well. Since there can be only one criminal among A1 and A2 (along with B1, D1, D2, and D3), A2 cannot be criminal. Therefore, we can determine that A2 Freya is INNOCENT.
Clue:
"Exactly 2 of the 5 criminals on the edges are in column C" — Linda (B3)
"Only 1 of the 3 criminals neighboring me is to the left of Salil" — Xena (C5)
"All innocents in column A are connected" — Tina (A5)
D3 · Nick → INNOCENT, D2 · Ike → INNOCENT
Because: Linda’s clue says there are exactly 5 criminals on the edges, and exactly 2 of those edge-criminals are in column C; since the only edge spaces in column C are C1 and C5, those two already account for the “2 in column C,” and with Salil at D4 we now have 3 of the 5 edge-criminals identified as C1, C5, and D4, leaving exactly 2 more edge-criminals to be found elsewhere. Xena’s clue says she has exactly 3 criminal neighbors, and only 1 of those is to the left of Salil; among Xena’s neighbors, the only people who can be “to the left of Salil” are B4 and C4, so exactly one of B4 or C4 is a criminal, and the third criminal neighbor (besides D4 and that one) must be on B5 or D5, meaning exactly one of B5 or D5 is a criminal. That also fixes row 4 to have exactly 2 innocents (A4 is innocent, D4 is criminal, and exactly one of B4/C4 is innocent), so Freya’s clue forces row 1 to have exactly 2 innocents as well; since C1 is criminal, exactly one of A1, B1, or D1 must be criminal. The two remaining edge-criminal slots are now fully used up by the one criminal in row 1 (among A1/B1/D1) and the one criminal among B5/D5, so neither D2 nor D3 can be an edge-criminal. Therefore, we can determine that D3 · Nick is INNOCENT and D2 · Ike is INNOCENT.
Clue:
"Exactly 2 of the 5 criminals on the edges are in column C" — Linda (B3)
"Only 1 of the 3 criminals neighboring me is to the left of Salil" — Xena (C5)
"There's an equal number of innocents in rows 1 and 4" — Freya (A2)
A1 · Brian → INNOCENT
Because: Linda says there are exactly 5 criminals on the edge, and exactly 2 of those edge criminals are in column C. Since C1 (Diane) and C5 (Xena) are already criminals and they are the only edge spaces in column C, they must be those 2, so all 3 remaining edge criminals must be somewhere else on the edge. Diane’s clue says there are exactly two criminals in row 5; with A5 innocent and C5 criminal, that forces exactly one of B5 or D5 to be an edge criminal, and Nick’s clue says Henry’s edge-neighbors include B1 and D1 and exactly one of them must be an edge criminal because C1 is criminal while D2 and D3 are innocent. That already accounts for 5 edge criminals in total: C1, C5, D4, one of B5/D5, and one of B1/D1, so A1 cannot also be an edge criminal. Therefore, we can determine that A1 (Brian) is INNOCENT.
Clue:
"Exactly 2 of the 5 criminals on the edges are in column C" — Linda (B3)
"Both criminals in row 5 are connected" — Diane (C1)
"3 of Henry's neighbors on the edges are innocent" — Nick (D3)
C3 · Max → INNOCENT
Because: The relevant people in column C are Diane at C1 (already a criminal), Henry at C2, Max at C3, Rob at C4, and Xena at C5 (already a criminal). Brian’s clue says there are exactly 3 criminals in column C, so besides Diane and Xena there is exactly 1 more criminal among Henry, Max, and Rob. Julie’s clue says that exactly 1 innocent in column C is neighboring Max, and the only column C neighbors of Max at C3 are Henry at C2 and Rob at C4, so exactly one of Henry and Rob is innocent and the other is criminal. That uses up the one remaining criminal among Henry, Max, and Rob, so Max cannot be criminal. Therefore, we can determine that C3 Max is INNOCENT.
Clue:
"There are exactly 3 criminals in column C" — Brian (A1)
"Exactly 1 innocent in column C is neighboring Max" — Julie (A3)
B2 · Gary → INNOCENT, C2 · Henry → INNOCENT
Because: Diane at C1 has five neighbors: Carl at B1, Emma at D1, Gary at B2, Henry at C2, and Ike at D2, and Max’s clue says exactly four of those neighbors are innocent, so among Carl, Emma, Gary, and Henry there is exactly one criminal (since Ike is already innocent). Nick’s clue talks about Henry’s neighbors that are on the edge; those are Carl (B1), Diane (C1), Emma (D1), Ike (D2), and Nick (D3), and it says exactly three of these edge-neighbors are innocent. Because Diane is already criminal and Ike and Nick are already innocent, the only way to have exactly three innocents is for exactly one of Carl or Emma to be innocent, which means the other one is the single criminal among Diane’s neighbors. That uses up the one criminal allowed next to Diane, so both Gary and Henry must be innocent. Therefore, we can determine that B2 Gary is INNOCENT and C2 Henry is INNOCENT.
Clue:
"3 of Henry's neighbors on the edges are innocent" — Nick (D3)
"Diane has exactly 4 innocent neighbors" — Max (C3)
C4 · Rob → CRIMINAL
Because: In column C, the people are Diane at C1, Henry at C2, Max at C3, Rob at C4, and Xena at C5. Brian’s clue says there are exactly 3 criminals in this column. Diane and Xena are already known criminals, while Henry and Max are already known innocents, so the only remaining spot that can make the total reach 3 is Rob at C4. Therefore, we can determine that C4 Rob is CRIMINAL.
Clue:
"There are exactly 3 criminals in column C" — Brian (A1)
B4 · Phil → INNOCENT
Because: Xena at C5 says she has exactly three neighboring criminals, and exactly one of those neighboring criminals is to the left of Salil (who is at D4). Among Xena’s neighbors, the ones that are to the left of Salil are B4 Phil and C4 Rob, because they are in the same row as Salil and in columns to his left. Rob is already a criminal and is one of Xena’s neighbors, so the “only one” criminal neighbor to the left of Salil is already accounted for by Rob. That means Phil cannot also be a criminal neighbor to the left of Salil, so Phil must be innocent. Therefore, we can determine that B4 Phil is INNOCENT.
Clue:
"Only 1 of the 3 criminals neighboring me is to the left of Salil" — Xena (C5)
B1 · Carl → CRIMINAL
Because: Freya is at A2, and her neighbors who are on the edge are A1 Brian, B1 Carl, and A3 Julie. Henry’s clue says that among those edge neighbors, Freya has exactly one criminal. Since Brian and Julie are already known to be innocent, the only way for Freya to have exactly one criminal edge-neighbor is for Carl to be the criminal. Therefore, we can determine that B1 Carl is CRIMINAL.
Clue:
"Freya has only one criminal neighbor on the edges" — Henry (C2)
D1 · Emma → INNOCENT
Because: The clue compares the number of innocents in row 1 with the number of innocents in row 4 and says they are equal. In row 4, Olof at A4 and Phil at B4 are innocent while Rob at C4 and Salil at D4 are criminal, so row 4 has exactly two innocents. Row 1 already has Brian at A1 as innocent and Carl at B1 and Diane at C1 as criminals, so the only way for row 1 to also have two innocents is for Emma at D1 to be innocent. Therefore, we can determine that D1 Emma is INNOCENT.
Clue:
"There's an equal number of innocents in rows 1 and 4" — Freya (A2)
D5 · Zoe → INNOCENT
Because: In column D below Emma at D1 are Ike at D2, Nick at D3, Salil at D4, and Zoe at D5. Emma’s clue says there are exactly 3 innocents among those four people. Ike and Nick are already known innocents, and Salil is already known criminal, so the only way to reach exactly 3 innocents below Emma is for Zoe to be the third innocent. Therefore, we can determine that D5 Zoe is INNOCENT.
Clue:
"There are exactly 3 innocents below me" — Emma (D1)
B5 · Vera → CRIMINAL
Because: The clue from Linda says there are 5 criminals on the edges in total, and exactly 2 of those edge criminals are in column C. On the edges, we already have four confirmed criminals: Carl at B1, Diane at C1, Salil at D4, and Xena at C5, and the two in column C are already Diane and Xena. Since the clue requires a total of 5 edge criminals and we currently have only these 4, the remaining edge position that must supply the fifth edge criminal is Vera at B5. Therefore, we can determine that B5 Vera is CRIMINAL.
Clue:
"Exactly 2 of the 5 criminals on the edges are in column C" — Linda (B3)