The Top 10 Suspects For the Latest Killer on Pretty Little Liars

Updated on 1/21/2016 at 2:30 PM

This month, Pretty Little Liars finally leapt five years forward. While it was fantastic to see our girls all grown up in the Winter premiere, something terrible happens to put a damper on everything. Shortly after her release back into the real world, Charlotte DiLaurentis is brutally murdered. In this week's episode, bigger suspects emerge, but we're still nowhere nearer to an answer. Solving mysteries is no foreign concept on PLL — we desperately tried to figure out who "A" was for the first six seasons, after all — so it's time to get cracking. Who killed Charlotte? Roll up your sleeves and keep reading for our top suspects.

Mona Vanderwaal

Biggest Piece of Evidence: Mona tells Spencer she still has nightmares, so it's clear she's still very much affected by what Charlotte did. And that's the thing: Mona hasn't always had an easy time forgiving.
The Point of Contention: Mona really does seem to be working toward recovery — like she wants to leave her past in her past. Plus, in the court scene, it really seems like Mona feels for Charlotte.

Uber A

Biggest Piece of Evidence: The show's creator, I. Marlene King, already revealed there's a new "big bad" to worry about, and it's Uber A. This might be the first move in the biggest game of them all.
The Point of Contention: There were hints of the return of Uber A, of course, but nothing concrete enough for us to know for sure. And we're pretty sure Uber A plans to make themselves known.

Sara Harvey

Biggest Piece of Evidence: We know Sara is still around, as evidenced by her dramatic appearance at Charlotte's funeral. Of all the characters to return so far, she seems, by far, to be the most malevolent.
The Point of Contention: According to the police, Sara's burns — which we still haven't gotten the full story on — eliminate her as a suspect. Charlotte was violently attacked before she was thrown from the bell tower. Sara simply didn't have the strength.

Aria Montgomery

Biggest Piece of Evidence: Aria has a lot stacked against her. This week, we learn she wasn't at the hotel when Charlotte was killed. She swears up and down she had nothing to do with it, but we can't know for sure. Plus, she's the only liar who protests against Charlotte's release.
The Point of Contention: Aria is terrified of Charlotte. There's a slim chance she'd want to go seek direct confrontation. Plus, if we've learned anything, the most likely suspect is often the last person we should be looking at.

Caleb Rivers

Biggest Piece of Evidence: Caleb has always been adamant about protecting Hanna, even if they've split up. There's a chance he may have acted rashly when Charlotte was released.
The Point of Contention: Caleb really has no stakes in this whole thing. Why would he jump back in after he got out?

Hanna Marin

Biggest Piece of Evidence: Of all the four liars, Hanna seems, at first, like the most angry. Plus, as we see the morning after the girls' late night of drinking, Hanna is the first one to be awake. Could she have slipped out in the early morning?
The Point of Contention: The fact that Hanna, in the end, lies for Ali suggests that she's not hanging on to a lot of her anger when it comes to Charlotte.

Spencer Hastings

Biggest Piece of Evidence: Spencer seems very visibly affected when Mona admits to still having nightmares. Plus, Spencer herself admits to writing a criminology paper about a murder that fits these exact circumstances. The fact that she's so forward about it could mean a veiled sort of honesty. Why suspect the person who's giving you the most information?
The Point of Contention: Spencer is on a good path, getting her career in politics off the ground. And the truth always comes to light eventually.

Ezra Fitz

Biggest Piece of Evidence: Ezra is clearly managing a lot of anger right now, and he also seems miffed about Charlotte's release. Plus, we know he met up with Aria the night Charlotte died, and we don't know what he did once they went their separate ways. The nail in the coffin is Spencer's criminology paper, which is frighteningly close in detail to the circumstances of Charlotte's death. Ezra read that paper.
The Point of Contention: Maybe the fact that he's so consumed by his grief is a sure sign he's too distracted to murder Charlotte. He has his own problems to worry about.

Emily Fields

Biggest Piece of Evidence: Of all the liars, Emily seems to be the most lost right now. It's clear she doesn't feel like she got her life back. Maybe she wants Charlotte to pay for taking away her chance at happiness.
The Point of Contention: Of the four girls, Emily seems the least affected by Charlotte's release. In fact, she's very focused on her dad's death, and her inability to function in school. Charlotte seems far out of her mind.

Alison DiLaurentis

Biggest Piece of Evidence: Of all the years we've known Ali, it's always been clear that she's never stopped playing games. Can we trust her? Could this be a new sick way to torture the girls?
The Point of Contention: Ali seems like she's really changed. She's been visiting Charlotte for years, she's been trying to get her out, and she's clearly devastated by Charlotte's death.