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Let's Talk About All The Potential Suspects For Jughead's Murder On 'Riverdale'

Jughead Jones on Riverdale
Marc Hom/The CW

Spoilers ahead for Episode 5 of Riverdale Season 4. It's officially time to stop talking about if Jughead is dead on Riverdale and start asking who killed him. At the end of the Nov. 6 episode, a spring semester flash-forward showed Jughead's dad FP Jones coming into a classroom at Riverdale High and announcing that Betty, Archie, and Veronica were under arrest for Jughead's murder. None of them seemed very surprised, so they must have known this was coming. Perhaps this flash-forward comes after the events of that fateful Spring Break, where the three burned Jughead's beanie and swore to never speak of whatever had happened again.

But Veronica, Archie, and Betty aren't the only possible culprits for Jughead's murder. In fact, they make almost the least amount of sense as suspects. They're Jughead's best friends! Betty is his girlfriend! If fans have to accept that someone is going to murder Jughead, it's only fair to consider it wasn't the people closest in the world to him that did the deed. Here's the case against each suspect — Betty, Archie, and Veronica included. Although, come on, this has to be a classic Riverdale fake out, right?

The Case Against Betty

Jack Rowand/The CW

In the Nov. 6 episode, Betty confronted the fact that she has the "serial killer gene," and uncovered a repressed a memory of her dad instructing her to murder her cat. She was a child at the time and obviously being heavily manipulated by her father. Also, the cat had been hit by a car and was suffering. But killing animals is the sure mark of a psychopath. Maybe Betty's cold reaction to seeing Jughead's body in the Oct. 30 flash-forward was because she was responsible for his death and just didn't really care. Maybe she even blocked out that she was the one who did it.

The Case Against Archie & Veronica

Jack Rowand/The CW

There isn't one. There is no reason for these two to kill Jughead unless it happens in some sort of freak accident scenario.

The Case Against Charles Smith

Shane Harvey/The CW

Guess who else has a serial killer gene? Betty and Jughead's half-brother Charles Smith. He told Betty in the Nov. 6 episode that he joined the FBI to learn more about serial killers and try to keep his own darkness at bay. Betty, spooked by what she heard, decided that she needed to learn more about him. What if Jughead helps Betty snoop, gets caught, and Charles kills him in response? In the Oct. 30 episode, he was listening into Betty and Jughead's private phone conversation. Maybe Charles has it out for his little bro.

The Case Against Bret Weston Wallis

The CW

Jughead's Stonewall Prep classmate, Bret, seems like the most obvious suspect on this list. He's had it out for Jughead since they first met, and the two just entered into a writing competition in which they have to compose the "perfect murder." Maybe Bret puts his words into action and murders Jughead, then pins the crime on Jughead's Riverdale friends?

Whoever it is behind Jughead's murder, it's looking more and more like he truly is dead. Let the sleuthing begin.