10 Crime Riddles That Will Boggle Your Mind

To solve these puzzles, you’ll need to read the riddles carefully and do some outside of the box thinking. However, all the information you need can be found in the questions. Also, please check out the bonus question below and share your answers in the comment section if you figure it out.

Once you think you’ve got your answers to these mysteries, scroll to the bottom to find the correct solutions.

10. The Jewelry Store Theft

The police were called to a jewelry store because a single male robber wearing a mask and brandishing a handgun stole some diamonds. A short distance away from the crime scene, the police found the loot in a patch of plants. They also had two suspects, G.V. Higgins and Edwin McBain. Without even interviewing the suspects, the police knew Higgins committed the robbery. How did they know?

9. The Death of Arthur Conan

On one miserable night in October, the body of Conan D. Arthur was found on the ground near a seven story apartment building. It was clear that Arthur died as a result of falling out of one of the windows.

A detective was called and walked into the apartment building. First, he entered the apartment on the first floor that faced where the body was found. He opened the window and flipped a coin, which fell to the floor. After doing so, he left the coin and went to the apartment on the second floor. In there, he followed the exact same procedure that he did on the first floor. He then continued to do the same thing on the rest of the floors. After visiting each apartment, he returned to the ground floor and announced that the man had been murdered. How did the detective know?

8. The Death of Phyllis Dorothy

The police were called to the home of Phyllis Dorothy, who died a few hours before the police were alerted. She had been shot once in the head, through the temple. In her hand was a revolver. On the desk, there is a cassette tape recorder. The detective pressed play, and there was a woman’s voice, presumably Dorothy’s. It said, “Life has become too difficult and I can’t go on.” Then there’s a gunshot. The tape goes quiet.

The detective smirks, because he knows that this was no suicide. How does he know?

7. The Traveling Salesman

Joe Nesbo, a travelling salesman, was staying at a hotel for business. He was having a dinner meeting that night, so he decided to take a nap in the middle of the afternoon. He was awakened by a knock at the door, and then a man walked in. “Oh my, I’m terribly sorry, this isn’t my room. Please, pardon the intrusion.” The man calmly backed out and left. Nesbo got up and locked the door – something he forgot to do before his nap – and lay back down on the bed. But then he shot up in bed and called the lobby to tell them there was a burglar on the prowl. What made Nesbo think that?

6. The Lansdale Brothers

Tom Highsmith was found stabbed to death in his apartment, and there were five suspects – the Lansdale brothers, which consisted of Joseph, Leonard, Mark, Hap, and Richard. All five had motive and the opportunity to kill Highsmith, but the detective didn’t know which one did it. That is, until she received a anonymous note. She immediately knew the identity of the murderer. The note read:

“? Lansdale. He is the killer.”

Which brother stabbed Tom Highsmith to death?

5. The Murder of Christine Agatha

A detective was called to a rather unusual crime scene. Christine Agatha is dead, definitely the victim of murder. The weapon used to end her life was a big pair of scissors. However, Mrs. Agatha had not been cut or stabbed. In fact, there was no trace of any blood anywhere in the room, nor was the room in disarray. How was Christine Agatha killed with a big pair of sharp and pointy scissors?

4. The Death of Samantha Hammett

It was the middle of a bright and sunny day, and Samantha Hammett was killed by her husband, Dashiell. He killed her in public, and there were plenty of witnesses who watched the killing. But no one tried to stop it. Nor did anyone accuse Dashiell of murder, because in the eyes of the law, he wasn’t a murderer. Therefore, he was never arrested or charged with her death. In fact, after killing his wife, Dashiell went home. How is this possible?

3. The Trial of Colin Dexter

After Colin Dexter was arrested for a third time, he landed himself in front of Judge Lindsay Jeffrey. In his previous two court appearances, Dexter swore that he was going to stay out of trouble, and Judge Jeffrey believed him, so she gave him two very lenient punishments. Seeing him for a third time in her court made Judge Jeffrey feel like a fool, and she wanted to teach Dexter a lesson. She said, “In three days’ time, I want a note written from you. If you are honest in the note, you’ll just be given 10-years in prison. However, if you lie, I will sentence you to death and you will be hanged that very day.”

Judge Jeffrey was quite proud of herself, because she thought it would teach Dexter a lesson. Why would he risk his life by lying? He would be forced to tell the truth AND he would be served with a stiff punishment. She thought it was a win-win situation.

Three days later, a rather smug Dexter gave the note to Judge Jeffrey. Judge Jeffrey read the note and the blood drained from her face. She quietly said, “Please release Mr. Dexter.” Dexter was uncuffed and he walked out of the court room a free man.

What did Dexter’s letter say?

2. The Motor Home Car Crash

Police arrived at a horrible accident on the highway. A motor home and truck collided head-on when the motor home unexpectedly crossed the center line. The driver of the truck and two passengers in the motor home, Leonard Elmore and Ellroy James, were all killed. There was only one survivor, Chandler Raymond.

The police interviewed Raymond, and he said that Elmore was driving and he and James were in the back playing cards and drinking beer. Raymond said that when James got up from his chair to get another beer, they hit the truck, sending James flying backwards, and he struck the back of his head on the handle of the backdoor. Raymond said that he wasn’t killed because he was sitting down during the accident. The medical examiner also concluded that James had died because he hit the back of his head on the door.

After reading the ME’s report and reviewing Raymond’s statement, the detective arrested Raymond for murder. Why?

1. The Murder of Angela Lehane

Patrick and Angela Lehane had been married for several years when Patrick had to go away for three months for work. When he returned home, Patrick decided he wanted to surprise Angela, so he walked into their home, announced his arrival, looked around the house, and found his wife in the bedroom. Hoping to catch the surprised look on her face, he snapped the picture above.

Angela acted happy to see him and wrapped her arms around him. She suggested that they go out for dinner, so she got dressed and they went to a nice restaurant before returning home for a lovely evening. At the time, everything seemed perfect to Patrick and he was happy to be home. But the next morning, Patrick got up, and looked at the picture of his smiling wife from the night before. He picked up his gun, and he shot his wife to death.

The police charged Dennis with first degree murder. The prosecutor demanded for the death penalty for the motiveless and cold blooded murder. Patrick claimed there was a motive and he didn’t plan the murder. He simply snapped. Therefore, he should only be guilty of second degree murder and get life in prison. He gave this picture as evidence. Can you figure out why Patrick is guilty of second degree murder and not first degree?

Bonus Question: What do all the names have in common? Share your answers in the comment section below!

Answers:

10. The plants were cacti and Higgins was covered in cuts.

9. The detective had to open the window on every floor. If the man had jumped, one window would have been left open. That means the killer threw the victim out of the window and closed it afterwards.

8. How did Dorothy rewind the tape if she shot herself?

7. If the man thought it was his room, he wouldn’t have knocked.

6. Mark. If you were to read the note aloud, it says “Question Mark Landsdale. He is the killer.”

5. Christine Agatha was on life support and her tube was cut.

4. Samantha was a condemned prisoner and Dashiell was the executioner.

3. “I will be hanged.” If he was going to be hanged, that would make the statement true, so he couldn’t be hanged. However, by not hanging him, it would make the statement false. Meaning the note cannot be true or false.

2. James survived the collision, and after the accident, Raymond killed him by smashing his head onto the door handle. The detective knew this because if Ellroy had been standing during a head-on collision he would have flown forwards towards the front of the motor home and not backwards.

1. Angela was cheating on Patrick and was hiding a man in their room when he first came home. You can see part of his face in the picture and when Patrick saw it he snapped. You can see the man, particularly his eye, if you follow the fan cord down. Between the headboard and the mattress, you can see the man’s face.

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