How to Solve A Murder

Evelyn Shaw ’29

While none of us will likely be solving a mystery soon, I always find it fun when reading a serial killer novel, watching the latest Glass Onion movie, or even reading some classic Agatha Christie, to try and solve the mystery before the detective reveals the culprit. But how does one go about doing that? Aside from the typical who, with what, where format, reminiscent of a game of Clue, this article will contain real tips that will hopefully come in handy!

  • THE ESSENTIALS

In order to solve any murder mystery you need to figure out…

  1. Who has an alibi (something proving they couldn’t have committed the crime simply because they were somewhere else when the crime was executed) vs. who has an opportunity

  2. Motive: this is tricky because it can be less obvious initially, and may require some more in-depth sleuthing (tip - try getting into the character’s head, profile them based on their actions, facial expressions, body language, etc.)

  • MORE TIPS & TRICKS

  1. Take note of all the little details! This may prove useful for linking the suspects with the nature of a crime. An example of this from the book I am reading is that the nature of the series of murders have all been totally different , but in all of them the killer has left a calling card of sorts, telling us the murderer wants us to know that they murdered all these people. They seek recognition and attention, which perhaps derives from neglect in their past. Knowing this, we can compare the details of the crime with those of the suspects, narrowing down our suspect list.

  2. Knowing how to apply sound logic to form connections between evidence and information in a case is quintessential for solving a case (tip - try to do puzzles like sudoku or play a game of chess to improve your logic skills.)

  3. Mapping out events, this can help you line up a suspect’s schedule with the events of the crime, and point out aspects of an alibi that don’t add up. For instance, if your alibi is that you were at a dinner party the nights the murder took place, even if you have a dated receipt of being at the restaurant that evening, if you left the party at 9:00 pm and the murder took place 3 blocks away at 9:55 pm, your alibi is faulty. Organizing the location and time of events can help reveal valuable tools for solving a case.

  4. Have some basic knowledge of human psychology / criminology . This can clarify why someone might do something, and reveal how the nature of a crime might reflect the traits of the killer.

    Overall, the skills of a detective, while extremely unique, can be built through daily exercises, and can aid you in more than just solving a crime in a novel, you can use these skills in debate, politics, and generally just thinking critically. Who knows, maybe by using these tactics we can finally figure out the bathroom vandalist?

The Bardvark