6 Reasons Charlotte Might've Been Killed On 'PLL'

Though we may constantly be asking ourselves "who's the new A?," Pretty Little Liars is first and foremost a murder mystery. The pilot episode took us into the mystery of who killed Alison DiLaurentis (or so we thought), and now, six seasons and one five-year time jump later, we're asking who killed Charlotte DiLaurentis, Ali's long lost sister. Charlotte was the show's Big A, and an extremely complicated character long before she ever donned the black hoodie. She was always suspected of playing for the A Team under the alias "CeCe Drake," only to reveal herself as the show's ultimate baddie in the Season 6A finale. But while she may have made plenty of mistakes (and bad choices), there is someone out there even worse. Charlotte was murdered in the Season 6B premiere, and we have no idea who the culprit is or why they went after her. Why Charlotte was killed on Pretty Little Liars is this season's ultimate mystery, and it puts the Liars (and their fans) right back to where they started.

The suspect list for Charlotte's murder is so long that it includes Aria, Ezra, and pretty much anyone connected to the Liars. We likely won't find out the identity of the murderer for a while (though there's a strong chance that the murderer isn't actually Uber A, as most of us originally suspected), but we can start to theorize as to why the killer targeted Charlotte in the first place. For theories on who may have killed Charlotte, check out Bustle's PLL podcast, Taking This One To The Grave.

Here are six potential reasons why someone could have wanted Charlotte dead — and made it happen.

1. She Knew Too Much About The N.A.T. Club

The N.A.T. Club was a big deal in the early seasons of PLL, and it really seemed like these Rosewood watchers would have some connection to Big A. Though the Season 6A finale didn't mention the N.A.T. Club, that doesn't mean that Charlotte wasn't involved: she did date Jason (still so upsetting) and seemed to know Jenna and Melissa. Could Charlotte have seen an incriminating video that the club didn't want to get out? If so, the remaining members of the group (whoever they may be) could have waited for Charlotte to get out of the mental institution to make their move.

2. Someone Wanted To Protect The Liars

I mean, Charlotte did kidnap the Liars and put them in her demented dollhouse for weeks. There are plenty of reasons to be concerned about her getting out of the mental institution: it's fair to think that the master manipulator might only be pretending to have gotten better. A parent, significant other, or even close friend of the Liars might have taken matters into their own hands to ensure that Charlotte never hurt any of the girls again.

3. Someone Wanted To Frame The Liars

Someone could have killed Charlotte not to help the Liars, but to hurt them. This person knew that the girls would have to speak about their time in the dollhouse, and used the fact that they were in Rosewood to frame them for Charlotte's untimely death. This might be another case of someone exacting revenge on the Liars — though for what, we don't yet know.

4. An Ex Didn't Want Her To Go Home

Charlotte could have bonded with another patient in the mental institution, but severed ties with them before getting released. If that's the case, that person could have been angry enough to kill Charlotte for leaving — especially if they were unstable in the first place.

5. One Of Charlotte's Victims Killed Her Out Of Revenge

I have serious doubts that Emily, Aria, Spencer, or Hanna killed Charlotte, but I'm not quite as convinced that Sara, Mona and even Ali are innocent. Charlotte did some seriously messed up stuff to all of the girls, and I wouldn't be surprised if they would want to exact revenge when they were afforded the opportunity. Even if they claim to harbor no ill will towards Charlotte right now, lying about their feelings could be part of a plan to throw the cops off their tracks.

6. A Family Member Killed Charlotte Out Of Hate

Like, say, Mr. DiLaurentis? That dude was always sketchy, and had no love for his daughter. That probably didn't change after Charlotte drugged him and tried to blow him up.

Here's hoping we get a motive for Charlotte's murder soon. That will be the first step towards figuring out who killed her, and hopefully, uncovering Pretty Little Liars' next Big Bad.

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