Clues by Sam May 11, 2026 Answer – Full Solution Explained

01.B3 · Linda → CRIMINAL

Will’s clue says that the two criminals below Bob must be connected. Below Bob are Gabe, Linda, Sofia, and Will, and Will is innocent. If Linda were innocent, then the only possible criminals below Bob would be Gabe and Sofia, but those two would not satisfy the clue’s requirement that the two criminals there be connected. So Linda cannot be innocent. That makes Linda criminal.

02.B1 · Bob → CRIMINAL, B4 · Sofia → INNOCENT, B2 · Gabe → CRIMINAL

Linda’s clue says the two innocents in column B must be connected. In column B, Will is already known to be innocent, and Bob, Gabe, and Sofia are the other people whose identities matter here. If Bob were innocent, Gabe were innocent, and Sofia were criminal, then the two innocents in column B would not fit Linda’s clue. That assignment cannot be right. So Bob must be criminal, Sofia must be innocent, and Gabe must be criminal.

03.C4 · Tyler → CRIMINAL

Gabe’s clue says that among Linda’s neighbors, exactly one criminal is to the right of Rose. In that group to the right of Rose, the only people are Sofia and Tyler, and Sofia is already known to be innocent. So that one criminal still needed there can only be Tyler. That makes Tyler criminal.

04.D3 · Quita → INNOCENT

Tyler’s clue says that Quita is one of the exactly 3 innocents below Debra. That identifies Quita directly as part of that innocent group. So Quita must be innocent.

05.D4 · Uma → CRIMINAL

Quita’s clue says there are exactly 2 innocent people in the group shared by Petra’s neighbors and Tyler’s neighbors. That shared group is Linda, Quita, Sofia, and Uma. In that group, Quita and Sofia are already the 2 known innocents, so there is no room for any other innocent there. That makes Uma criminal.

06.D5 · Zach → INNOCENT, D2 · John → INNOCENT

Tyler’s clue says Quita is one of exactly 3 innocents below Debra. The people below Debra are John, Quita, Uma, and Zach, and among them Quita is already innocent while Uma is criminal. If Zach and John were both criminals, then below Debra there would be only one innocent there, namely Quita, which conflicts with the clue saying there are exactly 3 innocents below Debra. So Zach and John cannot both be criminals. That makes Zach and John innocent.

07.D1 · Debra → INNOCENT

John says there is only one criminal in column D. In column D, Uma is already that one known criminal, and Debra is the only person there whose identity was still unknown. Since the column already has its full count of one criminal, Debra cannot be a criminal. So Debra must be innocent.

08.C2 · Hilda → INNOCENT

Debra’s clue says there are exactly 2 innocents to the right of Eric. In that group, John is already a known innocent, Gabe is a known criminal, and Hilda is the only person there whose identity is not yet known. So that group still needs exactly 1 more innocent, and the only person who can fill that is Hilda. That makes Hilda innocent.

09.C3 · Petra → CRIMINAL

Among Linda’s neighbors, the only people not yet identified are Eric, Katie, Petra, and Rose, and exactly 1 of those four is innocent. That 1 innocent has to come from Eric, Katie, and Rose. So Petra cannot be that innocent person. That makes Petra criminal.

10.C1 · Carol → CRIMINAL

Petra's clue says there is exactly one innocent to the right of Alex. That group already has its one known innocent, and the only person there whose identity is not yet known is Carol. So Carol cannot be innocent. So Carol must be criminal.

11.A1 · Alex → CRIMINAL

Linda’s neighbors must include exactly two criminals among Eric, Katie, and Rose. Those three are also the people above Vince besides Alex. So within the group above Vince, Eric, Katie, and Rose contribute exactly 2 criminals, which is an even number. Carol’s clue says the people above Vince must contain an odd number of criminals, and Alex is the only person above Vince outside that three-person group. That makes Alex criminal.

12.A5 · Vince → INNOCENT

Linda’s clue says her neighbors contain exactly 5 criminals, and exactly 1 of those criminals is to the right of Rose. Among the people to the right of Rose, Tyler is already that 1 criminal, so the remaining criminals among Linda’s neighbors have to come from Eric, Katie, and Rose along with the ones already known there. Alex’s clue says columns A and B have the same number of criminals. Column B already has 3 criminals, while column A currently has only 1, so the remaining people in column A who are touched by these clues have to account for the difference. If Vince were criminal, then Eric, Katie, and Rose would have to satisfy both clues at once, but they cannot. So Vince cannot be criminal. This leaves Vince as innocent.

13.C5 · Xavi → CRIMINAL

Vince's clue says every row has at least one criminal. In row 5, Vince, Will, and Zach are already known to be innocent, and Xavi is the only person there whose identity is not fixed yet. That means row 5 already has the maximum three innocents it can have, so the remaining person in that row cannot be innocent. So Xavi must be criminal.

14.A2 · Eric → INNOCENT

15.A4 · Rose → CRIMINAL, A3 · Katie → CRIMINAL

Linda’s neighbors contain exactly 5 criminals, and exactly 1 of those criminals is to the right of Rose. Among Linda’s neighbors who are to the right of Rose, only Tyler is a criminal, so the other 4 criminals among Linda’s neighbors must be people who are not to the right of Rose. The neighbors of Linda who are not to the right of Rose are Eric, Gabe, Hilda, Katie, Petra, and Rose. In that group, Gabe and Petra are already known criminals, so there are still 2 criminal spots left. The only unknown people left in that group are Katie and Rose, so they have to fill those 2 spots. So Rose and Katie must be criminal.