Solving the Mystery of Deduction “WHODUNNIT”

GUIDELINES: 1. Do not assume any facts. Don’t make the mistake that some students have made arguing that robbery was the motive because the victim’s wallet was stolen (they assume). The need to follow directions precisely is even more absolutely necessary than it usually is. 2. There is NO trick to this mystery. Only one person committed the crime; there was no conspiracy. The only suspects are the persons listed as suspects. 3. The victim was murdered; suicide is an incorrect, illogical assumption not supported by the facts. 4. Start with some sort of introduction (lead-in); some students, casting themselves in the role of Inspector, have effectively used a narrative approach. Do NOT, however, recopy the facts verbatim. Bring in facts only as necessary to support your arguments. a. After your introduction, write a paragraph explaining why you are eliminating the person who is the LEAST likely suspect. First, explain WHY s/he is a suspect; then, give your reasons for scratching him or her off your list. b. Next, argue why one of the two remaining persons is a MORE likely suspect than the one you have just eliminated, but who, alas, is also NOT GUILTY. c. Finally, convince your reader that the remaining suspect is the murderer, not only because s/he is the only one left, but also for good, logical reasons that you supply. 5. Though the evidence points more clearly to one suspect than it does to the other two, a case can be made to incriminate ANY of the three. Accordingly, the success of your essay depends less on WHOM you choose than WHY. Thus, your paper can still be fairly successful even if you designate the “wrong” suspect as the murderer. Good Luck!

CASE INFORMATION: WHODUNNIT?

Using deduction as your method of analysis, determine who killed Philo Farnsworth on the basis of the facts given.

On Friday, April 18, Philo Farnsworth, a thirty-five-year-old professional football player, was found dead in his house on 212 State Street. The coroner reported that Farnsworth had been murdered and that the cause of death was strangulation. The coroner also reported that the death occurred between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Police have three suspects in the case. Chives, the butler, always liked Farnsworth. Several witnesses swear they saw Chives running from Farnsworth’s house at 9:00 p.m. on the evening of the murder. Uncle Flatface, a fifty-five-year-old laborer, was inside Farnsworth’s house at the time of the murder. Uncle Flatface hated Farnsworth because Farnsworth never gave him any money. Aunt Fungus, an eighty-five-year-old retired schoolteacher who was also inside the house at the time of the murder had frequently threatened to kill Farnsworth because she disapproved of his habit of drinking too much bourbon every night.

Now it is your turn to become Master Sleuth; through logical deduction, solve the mystery.